tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-64614060114592104832017-08-15T18:54:59.396+02:00It always rains in NulnOne man's opinions on anything Warhammer related... and more. As a wargamer with almost 20 years of experience I've decided to share some of my thoughts with a wider audience. Here you will find all manner of articles about Warhammer, both Fantasy and 40K, RPGs and board games. Blog will be updated once every two weeks. Feedback is more than welcome.Xathrodox86http://www.blogger.com/profile/13542258686214382921noreply@blogger.comBlogger78125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6461406011459210483.post-42896417784650381352017-08-15T18:45:00.004+02:002017-08-15T18:54:59.406+02:00Role-playing Rants: my top 5 video game universes, which should have RPG's based on them<h2>There are many, great RPG's out there, just waiting to be played. But what about fictional universes, which don't have a tie-in role-playing game?</h2><div>I'v just returned from my vacation, which was great. I've managed to charge my batteries, relax and find a new perspective on a couple of things - you know, enjoy life. So now I'm back with a list of some of my favorite fictional, video game worlds, which I'd love to run a few games in. Bear in mind, I'll only write about the settings themselves, and not mechanics. I believe that without a good, interesting setting, even &nbsp;the best game system dosen't matter a single bit. Anyway, without further ado, here's the list. Read and enjoy.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><span style="color: orange;"><u>5. "S.T.A.L.K.E.R."</u></span></b></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xktdLKbcv5Q/WZMkDt6DQoI/AAAAAAAACtA/yJf-4FhmxlMqysbKUC7WYhu-_FQELv7uQCLcBGAs/s1600/250px-Stalkercover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="803" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xktdLKbcv5Q/WZMkDt6DQoI/AAAAAAAACtA/yJf-4FhmxlMqysbKUC7WYhu-_FQELv7uQCLcBGAs/s320/250px-Stalkercover.jpg" width="250" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>I'm a huge fan of the "S.T.A.L.K.E.R." series. The idea of a bunch of people, running around Chernobyl, collecting strange artifacts, fending off mutants and bandits and generally having a grand, merry time, always appealed to me. Brutal, visceral combat, mixed with well developed economic system, travelling through the Zone, coupled with horror and a sense of the unknown - what more could you wish for? Of, I know - the anomalies of course, "S.T.A.L.K.E.R.'s" signature, paranormal weird shit! I'm aware of a couple of fan-made RPG's, set in this world, but I'd love to get my hands on a official "S.T.A.L.K.E.R." tie-in game. It's one of my favorite worlds, and I'd love to see it in a pen-and-paper format. Such is life in the Zone.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><u>4. "Call of Duty: Ghosts"</u></span></b></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-m7BZJs8pwtk/WZMkHQXd25I/AAAAAAAACtE/2hloN9_Cb2cV4TMPqDNC-cwftNyhp8EMQCLcBGAs/s1600/header.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="216" data-original-width="460" height="149" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-m7BZJs8pwtk/WZMkHQXd25I/AAAAAAAACtE/2hloN9_Cb2cV4TMPqDNC-cwftNyhp8EMQCLcBGAs/s320/header.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>I know what you're probably thinking - what the hell does CoD has with role-playing? Well, quite a lot, if you take the setting of certain of its titles, into consideration. While most Call of Duty games have a paper-thin storyline and boring characters (looking at you, "Modern Warfare" series), there are a few with geunienly well fleshed-out worlds, or at least ones that have great potential. For me, "Ghosts" is one of those titles, that are just begging for a transition to a tabletop game. The idea is awesome - the United States are a shattered, former superpower, struggling against a newly risen Federation, a coalition of South American countries, hell-bent on wiping their northern neighbour from the face of the Earth. The last line of defense are the titular Ghosts, remnants of the US Tier 1 special forces. With limited resources, they must rely on their training, their wits and their determination in a doomed fight, against a stronger, ruthless opponent. Can they win, or just prolong the inevitable?</div><div>"CoD: Ghosts" would make for a great, mil-sim RPG, with a fast-paced, dynamic action. From raids deep behind enemy lines in Venezuela, to defending the ruins of Los Angeles, "Ghosts" could make a for a thrilling, intense military experience, and one, which I'd love to take part in.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><span style="color: red;"><u>3. "Metro 2033" and "Metro: Last Light"</u></span></b></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pDPUs059tfo/WZMkMpy3F1I/AAAAAAAACtI/3qNVl2Bb8B4XA1wnJ94xMXh71lconSUvACLcBGAs/s1600/Metro%2B2033%2BRed%2BBackground%2BPoster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pDPUs059tfo/WZMkMpy3F1I/AAAAAAAACtI/3qNVl2Bb8B4XA1wnJ94xMXh71lconSUvACLcBGAs/s320/Metro%2B2033%2BRed%2BBackground%2BPoster.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Much like the "S.T.A.L.K.E.R." universe, from which it took a lot of inspiration, the Eastern European, post-apocalyptic world of "Metro", created by Dmitry Glukhovsky is simply meant for a PnP transition. This RPG could explore the politics between various, Moscow's underground stations, the relations between all the different groups, which took shelter in the tunnels, when the bombs fell. Combat against the mutated beasts that now roam the surface, and infest the tunnels, as well as bandits (for men are still the worst monsters of all) would be brutal, claustrophobic and utterly lethal. I personally envision this game to be very deadly to your average player, with a high mortality rate. However the exploration of the unknown, together with a sense of a world lost, and a glimmer of hoper, would make for a truly terrific role-playing experience. Just remember: if it's hostile, kill it.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><span style="color: #bf9000;"><u>2. "Illusion of Gaia"</u></span></b></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LpoCs-SI3ro/WZMkPaEbNEI/AAAAAAAACtM/YGGWbMncCTcp4jE2Spi9PwBhEnGqoa4xQCLcBGAs/s1600/speedrun.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LpoCs-SI3ro/WZMkPaEbNEI/AAAAAAAACtM/YGGWbMncCTcp4jE2Spi9PwBhEnGqoa4xQCLcBGAs/s320/speedrun.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Now that's a world, in which I'd immerse myself completely. "Illusion of Gaia" is an action role-playing game, taking place in a slightly fantasy-based version of our Earth, with historic themes, thrown in for a good measure. The ultimate quest for the Tower of Babel takes our heroes from one historical location to another. From the Izcan ruins to the great, Egyptian pyramids, Will and his friends travel the world and uncover its secrets. It's a very mystical, and at times, surprisingly mature and dark adventure, which would work really well in a tabletop-based game. Granted it would probably require a certain mindset of its players (playing as group of children can be strange and difficult), but I think that a potential is there and that the "Illusion of Gaia" could become a fantastic RPG system.</div><div><br /></div><div><span style="color: #674ea7;"><b><u>1. "Dark Souls" and "Bloodborne"</u></b></span></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ccRVlbMrPQ4/WZMkSfUu-uI/AAAAAAAACtQ/g74q9xoYgHor0FEZyc3I3bnJtPGV7CsRACLcBGAs/s1600/darksouls3bloodborne1280jpg-c74d81_1280w.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="180" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ccRVlbMrPQ4/WZMkSfUu-uI/AAAAAAAACtQ/g74q9xoYgHor0FEZyc3I3bnJtPGV7CsRACLcBGAs/s320/darksouls3bloodborne1280jpg-c74d81_1280w.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>I love these two series. I adore them absolutely. For me these two present some of the most interesting, fictional worlds of the past few years. Dark, gritty and utterly hopeless, but with an unlimited potential - bot the "Dark Souls" and "Bloodborne" ask their players certain, not always comfortable questions, about what it means to be human and never leave them unsatisfied. Despite the bleakness and horror of both of these settings, there are rays of hope in each of them, something which makes fighting everyday struggles a worthy task. Now granted, these would probably work better a comabt-oriented games, with some philosophy on the side, not to mention personall horror, but they'd still work. No matter if you're looking for the Lords of Cinder or are a hunter of the Beasts, both the "Souls" series and "Bloodborne" are more than perfect to be turned into role-playing games.</div><div><br /></div><div>So that's it for this list. Thoughts, comments? I'd love to know what you think about my choices and I promise there will be more in the future. Next, I will present a list of my top 5 movies, which should find their way to tabletop. Stay tuned folks.</div><div><br /></div><div>Until next time!</div><div><br /></div><div>Xathrodox86</div>Xathrodox86http://www.blogger.com/profile/13542258686214382921noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6461406011459210483.post-76395166270839647242017-07-26T16:09:00.005+02:002017-07-29T01:35:57.039+02:00Food for thought, or how to feed your players the right way<h2>Let's face it: we gamers tend to eat horribly. Your usual tabletop diet consists of crisps, cookies, soft drinks and a occasional fast food. Perhaps it is time to change it?</h2><div>I know what you're thinking right now: "has Xathrodox went mad? I don't have time to cook!" If that is so, then it is truly regretable, but fear not - these few recipes are neither hard to use, nor time consuming. Some of them are definetly not, what one might call "healthy food", but they are certainly better than another pack of Cheetos.</div><div><br /></div><div>For years, since I've begun my adventure with RPG's and tabletop war games, I never even considered eating differently. Until recently however, my stance on junk food on sessions, has changed. You see, one of the players in my new group is a cook, and a damn good one. He often brings all sorts of delicious things to our games. A certain session of "Death on the Reik", which we've played for a whole night in a friend's garden, will always be remembered with fondness, for the delicious chicken breasts, that this fine fellow brought with him, and which were put on grill, along with many other, choice meats.</div><div><br /></div><div>I'm posting links to various culinary sites and blogs, so feel free to check 'em out and try out various other recipes, that they might have there. I'd also like to point, that I'm not sponsored by any of these sites, but I really wish that I would! It would help with the bills and my plastic crack addiction.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><span style="color: red;"><u>1. Blins (pancakes)</u></span></b></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-O7cRxnhHNjU/WXigHAi7tOI/AAAAAAAACr0/DR1yDLFNtDsqLDl4Ke-4xOPzT5zG2-dUACLcBGAs/s1600/maxresdefault.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-O7cRxnhHNjU/WXigHAi7tOI/AAAAAAAACr0/DR1yDLFNtDsqLDl4Ke-4xOPzT5zG2-dUACLcBGAs/s320/maxresdefault.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://allrecipes.com/recipe/215962/blini-russian-pancakes/" style="background-color: white;"><b>http://allrecipes.com/recipe/215962/blini-russian-pancakes/</b></a></div><div><br /></div><div>There's nothing better than a plate full of freshly made blins, which are traditional pancakes in slavic countries. You only really need water, eggs, flour and milk to make these babies, plus some kind of filling. I personally love spicy blins, filled with minced meat, cheddar and tomatoes but you can also make them with nutella or fresh fruit. It's a good idea to chop the ready pancakes, after filling them with your choice of goodies, so that they'll become a bite-size treat for all, around the gaming table.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><span style="color: cyan;"><u>2. Tarator (Balkan cold soup)</u></span></b></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NDSM9yrLPb8/WXigWYJFDBI/AAAAAAAACr4/LA1g-zxa44QeIvce_ibD4YXP7c2YxcETwCLcBGAs/s1600/pic0pkinL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="465" data-original-width="533" height="279" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NDSM9yrLPb8/WXigWYJFDBI/AAAAAAAACr4/LA1g-zxa44QeIvce_ibD4YXP7c2YxcETwCLcBGAs/s320/pic0pkinL.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.food.com/recipe/tarator-bulgarian-cold-cucumber-soup-62181"><b style="background-color: white;">http://www.food.com/recipe/tarator-bulgarian-cold-cucumber-soup-62181</b></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Delicious, refreshing and oh-so-easy to make. Tarator is a cold soup, which main ingridient is plain yogurt. Add some dill, a few fresh cucumbers, a spoon of crushed walnuts and you're ready to go! Skip the garlic tough, as RPG's tend to be a social thing, and it's not cool to breathe garlic fumes into other players faces.</div><div><u><br /></u></div><div><b><span style="color: blue;"><u>3. Spaghetti Carbonara (a timeless classic)</u></span></b></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1IV23wo9Ggk/WXigpGZtiLI/AAAAAAAACr8/8ZMorQAmO0MGo-0hUP8cj5VS3N6g9Gq7ACLcBGAs/s1600/carbonara-sauce-28894-1.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1IV23wo9Ggk/WXigpGZtiLI/AAAAAAAACr8/8ZMorQAmO0MGo-0hUP8cj5VS3N6g9Gq7ACLcBGAs/s320/carbonara-sauce-28894-1.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/2876/learn-to-make-spaghetti-carbonara"><b style="background-color: white;">https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/2876/learn-to-make-spaghetti-carbonara</b></a></div><div><br /></div><div>This one's a true classic. Make a full pot of this delicious meal, and your players will stay full for the whole game session, even if you're running a lengthy dungeon crawl. Its preparation time is less than half an hour, and you only really need some pasta, a few garlic cloves (optional, for obvious reasons), some bacon, eggs and cream. It is a truly delicious, easy to make meal and you can't go wrong with it.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><span style="color: magenta;"><u>4. Chicken bites of various types (delicious and tasty)</u></span></b></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EYH2W1zHjAQ/WXigzun7xnI/AAAAAAAACsA/69-6ybwvMRgwa9t_pepEtH35wulM4rbBQCLcBGAs/s1600/Buffalo-Chicken-Tortilla-Pinwheels-Recipe-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="600" height="213" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EYH2W1zHjAQ/WXigzun7xnI/AAAAAAAACsA/69-6ybwvMRgwa9t_pepEtH35wulM4rbBQCLcBGAs/s320/Buffalo-Chicken-Tortilla-Pinwheels-Recipe-1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://sugarapron.com/2016/01/17/buffalo-chicken-tortilla-roll-ups/"><b style="background-color: white;">http://sugarapron.com/2016/01/17/buffalo-chicken-tortilla-roll-ups/</b></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Oh yeah, the ultimate party snack can also work wonders on a table, surrounded by funny shaped dice, and monster manuals. Tortilla wraps, chicken, some creamy cheese and lots and lots of spices - these are the basic ingridients of this kind of dish. I personally love 'em hot and spicy, with a nice dip on the side. You can always substitute tortillas with pancakes, but this will lengthen the preparation process. Still, cooking is all about having fun, so maybe spare an extra hour, before a weekend game and make some blin.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><span style="color: #e69138;"><u>5. Shashlik (meat on a stick!)</u></span></b></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KjMXLyHxpB0/WXig8XTp9XI/AAAAAAAACsE/ReBvnwG0B6MgUwV0ZnYwj7rcHYz4qtHoACLcBGAs/s1600/Chicken-shashlik-by-chef-zakir1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="357" data-original-width="700" height="163" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KjMXLyHxpB0/WXig8XTp9XI/AAAAAAAACsE/ReBvnwG0B6MgUwV0ZnYwj7rcHYz4qtHoACLcBGAs/s320/Chicken-shashlik-by-chef-zakir1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.goodtoknow.co.uk/recipes/267018/Low-and-light-chicken-shashlik"><b style="background-color: white;">http://www.goodtoknow.co.uk/recipes/267018/Low-and-light-chicken-shashlik</b></a></div><div><br /></div><div>This one's a traditional, slav dish, perfect for a weekend grill session. You can also make it at home, in your oven, tough you'll probably need to scrape it clean, afterwards. Shashlik consists of a various pieces of marinated meat, skewered on a stick, with addition of vegetables like paprika, onion, eggplant and zucchini. This one's a bit more time consuming to make, but the end results are worth the time and effort, put into them. Always prepare a creamy dip, for it works wonders with the shashlik and don't forget about preparing the meat first, in just the right way. It's often a good idea to let it stay in the marinade for a whole night, before putting it on a grill (or in the oven).</div><div><br /></div><div><b><span style="color: #c27ba0;"><u>6. Ayran (cold, yogurt-based drink)</u></span></b></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6qF_7ngElEg/WXihF-a-IGI/AAAAAAAACsI/xGdM2uZ6Tg4Fr8ef4ch0qxwsVOwIWNm9wCLcBGAs/s1600/ayran-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6qF_7ngElEg/WXihF-a-IGI/AAAAAAAACsI/xGdM2uZ6Tg4Fr8ef4ch0qxwsVOwIWNm9wCLcBGAs/s320/ayran-1.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/ayran-201053"><b style="background-color: white;">http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/ayran-201053</b></a></div><div><br /></div><div>It's a well know fact that the RPG players can operate solely on Mountain Dew, but there are alternatives. Ayran is a traditional refreshing drink from Turkey, but it's also very popular in Balkan countries, Greece and Armenia. You only need 3 ingridients: water, yogurt and salt. Fresh cucumber and garlic are optional ingredients, as is crushed mint. Just mix everything in a shaker, or beat in a bowl, and serve in tall glasses. Ayran is wonderfully refreshing and tasty, and a great alternative to soft drinks. Try it out, you won't be dissapointed.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><span style="color: yellow;"><u>7. Sunflower seeds (author's delight!)</u></span></b></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-p5M4aR3Vsww/WXihUsNvsjI/AAAAAAAACsM/ZflzvQBHD_0LoQjt2FjKlhwMxMnh8PWRQCLcBGAs/s1600/e5bd5592be64bdfb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="222" data-original-width="600" height="118" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-p5M4aR3Vsww/WXihUsNvsjI/AAAAAAAACsM/ZflzvQBHD_0LoQjt2FjKlhwMxMnh8PWRQCLcBGAs/s320/e5bd5592be64bdfb.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Ok, so it's not a recipe per se. Dried sunflower seeds, covered in salt, are a fantastic snack, for just about any occasion. Watching a football game, reading your favorite book or trying to bash a Troll's head during a session of Warhammer - the addition of sunflower seeds will defintely improve any form of spending one's free time. I personally suggest to always pick up your seeds with salt, they're just better that way, if a bit less healthy.</div><div><br /></div><div>So there you have it, few ideas on how to improve your tabletop eating habits. In the future I might make a couple more articles like this one, we'll see. As for now, I'll visit my kitchen and prepare a whole bunch of tasty dishes for tommorow, to take with me to work. For there are a few, better and cooler ways to spend your time, than to cook and enjoy the effects of your kitchen labours.</div><div><br /></div><div>Until next time!</div><div><br /></div><div>Xathrodox86</div>Xathrodox86http://www.blogger.com/profile/13542258686214382921noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6461406011459210483.post-60935764865078629542017-07-11T16:51:00.002+02:002017-07-14T16:11:44.262+02:00Xathrodox86 reviews: "Warhammer: End Times - Vermintide: Stromdorf"<h2>I'm a huge fan of "Vermintide". This game helped to rekindle my affection for Warhammer Fantasy. A few weeks ago, the good people from Fatshark released another DLC for this grim and perilous title - "Stromdorf".</h2><div>I really liked the previous two DLC's for "Vermintide". Both "Drachenfels" and "Karak Azgaraz" brought new content to the game and I did not felt that I've wasted my money on them. So how's "Stromdorf" looking in comparison to them?</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BbAZjFDuP8I/WWTlgy6nl0I/AAAAAAAACrE/K7CIhFa8BN4ytfg1rGbrrAIVmkpO5a_fACLcBGAs/s1600/vermintide-stromdorf.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="600" height="160" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BbAZjFDuP8I/WWTlgy6nl0I/AAAAAAAACrE/K7CIhFa8BN4ytfg1rGbrrAIVmkpO5a_fACLcBGAs/s320/vermintide-stromdorf.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Is it worth your money?</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div>The titular town is a miserable, rainy place, which evokes that unique feel of Warhammer Fantasy. It's dark, gritty and generally depressing. I love it. As a side fact, the town of Stromdorf has been futured in "The Gathering Storm" campaign for WFRP 3rd edition. Check it out, if you want to learn more about this wonderful shithole. Anyway, the Skave are up to something, as usual, and Franz Lohner, the not-imperial-intelligence-officer, is sending our delightful party to investigate. Soon our heroes discover a sinister plot, involving human collaborators working with the foul ratmen, which could threaten much more, than just Stromdorf itself.</div><div><br /></div><div>So here's the general premise of this DLC. I really like it, by the way. The excellent 2nd edition sourcebook "Children of the Horned Rat" has a rather extensive part of it, dedicated to humans, working with the Skaven. We also should not forget about the classic Gotrek &amp; Felix book "Skavenslayer" by William King, which includes similar theme among its pages.</div><div><br /></div><div>"Stromdorf" is very effective when it comes to visuals. Altough it starts on a sunny day, the weather soon becomes foul and rain begins to pour down from the heavens, threatening to drown both our heroes and the ratmen as well! This DLC was a bit more aggravating for my system, than the previous two, but I'm not surprised really. With all the particle effects, no one can blame performance issues on bad coding, but simply should understand that games like this will require more memory to run smoothly, as well as a better graphics card.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-aidmkZNh6D4/WWTlnqAUGFI/AAAAAAAACrI/c0MhAWBp52I4eZZM94NwANwqn7J5GGiIgCLcBGAs/s1600/ss_13d2e6bcfb4e6c493c0650bd2e5343897698dd6d.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-aidmkZNh6D4/WWTlnqAUGFI/AAAAAAAACrI/c0MhAWBp52I4eZZM94NwANwqn7J5GGiIgCLcBGAs/s320/ss_13d2e6bcfb4e6c493c0650bd2e5343897698dd6d.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>The rains of Stromdorf are constant and unforgiving in their intensity!</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div>The Fatshark team created a true masterpiece when it comes to maps in this DLC. The first one starts outside the city, when the weather is still decent. Later, after a long trek through the hills surrounding the town of Stromdorf, the adventurers finally arrive in the titular place, only to become soaking wet, from the horrible downpour. The atmosphere of fighting Skaven in a heavy rain, during a climactic thunderstorm really is something, let me tell you. Eventually our heroes discover a corpse of the messenger, whom Lohner wanted them to find. After checking for clues, they uncover a possible Skaven plot, which includes a human collaborator, or even a bunch of them! Without hesitation they rush deeper into the rainy town, to intercept a meeting between the vile traitors and a clan Fester emissary. Navigating their way through winding streets of Stromdorf, fighting Stormvermin in tight alleys and using roof to surprise unsuspecting ratmen, were some of the best experiences that I ever had with "Vermintide". The final battle with the emissary, a massive Skaven Warlord, armed with a Warpstone Glaive, was intense and very satisfying. Naturally, after defeating the fiend, I wanted so much more to happen, like finding the collaborators and handing them over to Lohner for interrogation. Sadly, the game decided that enough was enough.</div><div><br /></div><div>Yeah, that's right - "Stromdorf" consists of only two maps, and that is it's main (only?) weakness. For a price of 7 dollars I really expected more content for my buck. Sure, the maps are great, probably the best out of all DLCs so far. The presence of a new enemy is also really welcome, as well as the new weapon for Markus Kruber - the intimidating and mighty Executioners Sword. There are also a few, new achievements and lore pages, unique to this DLC's titular location. However all of that is just not enough man, plain and simple. They really could've added a third, final map, even a short one, to this DLC. I've managed to beat "Stromdorf" in less than an hour, with extensive roaming in search of tomes and grimoires as well as easter eggs and other goodies. In the end I honestly felt kinda ripped-off. Still, at least my money went to a developer who helps in keeping the Warhammer Fantasy alive, but... I seriously hope that their next, paid DLC will include much, much more meat, because despite my positive feelings, playing "Warhammer: End Times - Vermintide: Stromdorf" felt like recieving a light, fit meal, after going hungry for the whole day, in anticipation for a feast. Tasty and satisfying, but leaving a kind of need in one's stomach nonetheless.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7tBO7b2OgZE/WWTl1ixVf8I/AAAAAAAACrQ/AOIvoOBf1eQrqA5gPnTY4Ji9zNdstfTBgCLcBGAs/s1600/maxresdefault.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="180" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7tBO7b2OgZE/WWTl1ixVf8I/AAAAAAAACrQ/AOIvoOBf1eQrqA5gPnTY4Ji9zNdstfTBgCLcBGAs/s320/maxresdefault.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>At least Kruber finally recieved some love. This sword is awesome!</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div>Until next time...which will also be about food, coincidentally.</div><div><br /></div><div>Xathrodox86</div>Xathrodox86http://www.blogger.com/profile/13542258686214382921noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6461406011459210483.post-2903818430220950002017-07-03T15:50:00.002+02:002017-07-03T15:55:42.113+02:00Sharing is caring! On the topic of my WH40K RPG's collection<h2>Some time ago I've decided to share a bunch of fan-made materials for WFRP. Now it's time for my 40K RPG's resource collection.</h2><div>I've played a couple of FFG's role-playing games, set in the grim darkness of the far future. Despite a rocky start (a shitty player was its cause), from the perspective of time I consider them good games. Sure they have a number of flaws, but all in all they're very decent titles and work well in introducing others to the universe of Warhammer 40,00. Not to mention that the Dark Heresy is a perfect way of showing people that the galaxy of 40K is more than just "only war".</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8mLz1JdrFOg/WVpLQmDShnI/AAAAAAAACqg/7zJtfHdpdpc28yo7uZ7oFC7pJRSnTqsZgCLcBGAs/s1600/Undercover.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="563" data-original-width="300" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8mLz1JdrFOg/WVpLQmDShnI/AAAAAAAACqg/7zJtfHdpdpc28yo7uZ7oFC7pJRSnTqsZgCLcBGAs/s320/Undercover.png" width="170" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>It's also about looking fabulous, even in a heavy rain!</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div>But I digress. Even tough the FFG's 40K titles are much younger than WFRP, fans from all around the world still created a lot of quality resources for these games. The now-defunct sites like Dark Reign and Roll for Heresy were a great source of hundreds of various, fan-made files for Rogue Trader, Deathwatch and other 40K games. I was lucky enough to download quite many of them, before their hosting services went down, which is a shame really. WFRP has a lot of cool fan-sites, while role=playing games, set in the universe of Warhammer 40,000, seem to struggle in that department. I hope this will change in near future, providing the fans of WH40K with great, many communities, filled with wonderful people and high quality content.</div><div><br /></div><div>As with my WFRP collection, I'm only sharing <b><span style="color: red;"><u>100% FAN-MADE</u></span></b> stuff. So no illegal, scanned shit. Don't ask me for that, as I will simply not reply to anyone, who'd like to get his hands on a shiny Only War rulebook PDF, or any other, official material from Fantasy Flight Games (or Black Industries, for that matter).</div><div><br /></div><div>I'm also not taking any credit for the stuff that I'm sharing here. I've never created a single, fan-made supplement for 40K (maybe one day, but not yet), so any rights and credits go to the respective creators of these fan-made projects. If any of their authors would like me to remove their content from my collection, please send me a message and I will do this immediately. Remember that I'm posting this stuff so it will not dissapear in the endless waves of the internet, especially now, when there are no 40K RPG fan-sites available, as far as I know.</div><div><br /></div><div>Here's the link to my collection. Enjoy and share, as that's what this whole stuff is all about - sharing your passion with other people.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B78tEyor-_2DRTh0LU02d2NpMkE" target="_blank">https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B78tEyor-_2DRTh0LU02d2NpMkE</a></div><div><br /></div><div>Hopefully, I will also manage to upload both of my RPG collections to a FTP server, but that is something for a (near) future.</div><div><br /></div><div>There has also been a small update, concerning my WFRP data base: I've uploaded lots of new stuff there! So get it, while it's hot and share the wealth with other geeks and freaks. As usual, there will be updates to these data-vaults, probably around early winter. I will keep everyone posted on my blog, so check it out from time to time, and you won't miss anything. I guarantee that.</div><div><br /></div><div>Next post will take us to a particulary rainy village in Reikland. Stay tuned and praise the Emperor.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MtO9kheJCsg/WVpLenF7ZjI/AAAAAAAACqk/fZotJvvyxsQpkANX_nG28XTag4K8_8raQCLcBGAs/s1600/vermintide%2Bstromdorf%2Bdlc.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="332" data-original-width="590" height="180" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MtO9kheJCsg/WVpLenF7ZjI/AAAAAAAACqk/fZotJvvyxsQpkANX_nG28XTag4K8_8raQCLcBGAs/s320/vermintide%2Bstromdorf%2Bdlc.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Oh, and pass the ammunition!</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div>Until next time!</div><div><br /></div><div>Xathrodox86</div>Xathrodox86http://www.blogger.com/profile/13542258686214382921noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6461406011459210483.post-45320564024062638432017-06-23T19:04:00.003+02:002017-07-18T10:18:25.721+02:00Role-playing Rants: was Warhammer Fantasy "too dark" for its own good?<h2>Most of the old and middlehammerers know the evolution of Warhammer Fantasy. From the grim and down-to-earth, but also absurd fantasy game, it evolved into... Yeah, into what exactly?</h2><div>I won't pretend to be one of the "old guard". Sure, in my youth I used to play WFRP 1st edition from time tom time. It was an extremly popular game in Poland, still is really. However these first forays into the Old World are shrouded in the mist of childhood and obscurity. I don't remember too much about these games, except for the fact that I've once played a Zoat. Good times.</div><div><br /></div><div>Anyway, I had a chance to re-read the 1st edition rulebook, some time ago. Aside from a nostalgia trip, I've noticed how different the arts were, from the latter incarnations of this game system. Skulls were few and in between. People were actually smiling, while those in the 2nd edition books look, like they have a constant constipation. The atmosphere was just... fantastic. In that it resembled a typical fantasy world, but with a historical twist. Meanwhile, the 2nd edition arts are...</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5MjJRJZy3bU/WU1J96yJr9I/AAAAAAAAChQ/usmVha4kojQczXGvtIJF8qbRD3ZR_Kw9gCLcBGAs/s1600/Bone_Picker.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="542" data-original-width="351" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5MjJRJZy3bU/WU1J96yJr9I/AAAAAAAAChQ/usmVha4kojQczXGvtIJF8qbRD3ZR_Kw9gCLcBGAs/s320/Bone_Picker.jpg" width="207" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Ahhhhh!!!</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div>Yeah, they are almost all like that. Don't get me wrong, I love the 2nd edition of Warhammer Fantasy, but to be honest, very few artworks really work for me in this game. While some of them are taken straight from WFB's army books, mainly those of 6th editon Fantasy Battle, whith which WFRP 2nd shares a bond, the new arts are just... goofy. Goofy and really boring. There are skulls everywhere. Literally - on the buildings, on the clothing, on weapons. Hell, there are probably skulls within skulls with skulls on them. You think that I'm joking? No way.</div><div><br /></div><div>Both the WFB 6th and WFRP 2nd were trying too hard to become like 40K, which started to eclipse its older brother at the time of their popularity. In 40K there are skulls and cherubs and weird shit everywhere, but that is something to be expected of that setting. Cathedrals in space? Sure, why not? Now imagine if in Warhammer Fantasy there'd be galleons with cathedrals on them. That would just be silly now, wouldn't it? Still, Games Workshop might not have put churches on ships, but they tried. Oh, how they've tried to do things like that...</div><div><br /></div><div>Actually both the WFB 6th and WFRP 2nd editions recieved quite a mild treatment in the whole<br />"grimdark wannabe" process. Sure the omnipresent skulls were kinda annoying and character's faces were looking kinda silly, as well as the decrepit look of almost every building and dress in the Empire, but here and there one could still see the old Warhammer look, the down-to-earth fantasy game, without any pretence and with just the right ammount of dark humor.</div><div><br /></div><div>Then the 8th edition of Warhammer Fantasy Battle came. Oh sweet Sigmar...</div><div><br /></div><div>Where do I start? How about here?</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YClravXE3Bk/WU1IPIq-diI/AAAAAAAACg4/jGUmbfiKHDMIgI_2hgGkAbZPGqd5u_RyQCLcBGAs/s1600/Empire_Pistoliers.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="782" data-original-width="519" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YClravXE3Bk/WU1IPIq-diI/AAAAAAAACg4/jGUmbfiKHDMIgI_2hgGkAbZPGqd5u_RyQCLcBGAs/s320/Empire_Pistoliers.png" width="212" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>is he riding through the Warp?</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div>Or here?</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-R451DDa-MXY/WU1IY0XlgpI/AAAAAAAACg8/dC9jmZ3l_T8YwTA0Sc_mdmqpYkTok9yGACLcBGAs/s1600/ironblasters_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="564" data-original-width="824" height="219" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-R451DDa-MXY/WU1IY0XlgpI/AAAAAAAACg8/dC9jmZ3l_T8YwTA0Sc_mdmqpYkTok9yGACLcBGAs/s320/ironblasters_2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Meanwhile in World of Warcraft...</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div>Or maybe here?</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2yu8uIOiyHk/WU1IhbUWNiI/AAAAAAAAChA/j2JuvK623ZU2Km0hlLiYyuFVcCnYC_y7QCLcBGAs/s1600/1-WFjGz5gs1FUa1C78FLV_5Q.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="728" data-original-width="475" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2yu8uIOiyHk/WU1IhbUWNiI/AAAAAAAAChA/j2JuvK623ZU2Km0hlLiYyuFVcCnYC_y7QCLcBGAs/s320/1-WFjGz5gs1FUa1C78FLV_5Q.png" width="208" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>"One cannot fire rockets, when the floor is chaos" - ancient sigmarite proverb</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div>This is not gritty. This is not dark nor is it grim. This simply looks dumb and not "so bad that it's actually fun" kinda dumb. It looks dumb. It looks as if a 6-year old, who just read his first, "serious book", decided to sculpt a wargame terrain piece. There is nothing funny about it, there is nothing intimidating or scary about it. It looks like a shitty, cheap-ass toy and the worst part is that all of the 8th edition looked like that. Fake as hell, trying too hard to imitate 40K, a completly different game with a different atmosphere and style. Give me a break.</div><div><br /></div><div>When the WFRP 3rd edition came to stores, it generally carried on the style of the wargame on its pages. While the artwork was nice and of a much higher quality, then in the previous two iterations of Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay, it also lacked... something. Perhaps it was the continous absence of smiles on character's faces, or the ever present doom and gloom, presented on every art piece, I don't know. Certainly the portrayal of the Old World by FFG didn't managed to help in halting the decline of interest of its fans, and in bringing new, fresh blood into the fandom. I recall a story from the 3rd edition about a village struck by a nurglite sickness which forced them to dance until death claimed their exhausted bodies. Sisters of Shallya came to help the poor people, by enacting a powerful ritual that cleansed them from the plague. Their joy from helping others soon vanished, as an Empire army, led by a zealous Warrior Priest, arrived and decimated the village, killing every one of its inhabitants. Grim and dark, right? No, not really - just very poorly written. There were more stories like this one, presented on the pages of many of 3rd editions sourcebooks and adventures, poorly imitating Dark Heresy's and other 40K RPG's style. None of it really worked, none was at the literary level of Dan Abnett's introductory short piece in WFRP 2nd Edition's rulebook, which was dark, gritty but also believable and excellently written. Shame, really.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PJmAF2ARX0U/WU1JHDsUVqI/AAAAAAAAChI/fpaqseyuWU0NDdipJ1AhNwQ1uzf7w5eUgCLcBGAs/s1600/2bf62115342a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="213" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PJmAF2ARX0U/WU1JHDsUVqI/AAAAAAAAChI/fpaqseyuWU0NDdipJ1AhNwQ1uzf7w5eUgCLcBGAs/s320/2bf62115342a.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Back when we could feast our eyes on awesome art pieces, like this one...</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div>I know that I've written about it already, but I'm going to say it one more time - at one point, both the Warhammer Fantasy Battle and Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay, have lost their identities. They've tried to mimick or imitate, however you want to call it, a vastly different game, with a very unique style and presentation - the Warhammer 40,000. They've failed spectaculary and now, aside from a few, successful video game adaptations, they're dead. Age of Sigmar has replaced them and while it is still struggling with its own style and sense of identity, it is getting somewhere. I might not like the game, but I do have to acknowledge that it is changing and evolving, while also not falling blindly into the "ctrl+c, ctrl+v" territory, that old Warhammer Fantasy games did. Very soon we'll get our hands on the 4th edition of WFRP. I just hope that Cubicle 7 won't make the same mistakes, as their predecessors, for all of our sakes. It would be tragic, to see a potential rebirth of Warhammer Fantasy and the rekindling of old flames of passion, die before they'll even get a chance to spread throughout the RPG fandom.</div><div><br /></div><div>Until next time!</div><div><br /></div><div>Xathrodox86</div>Xathrodox86http://www.blogger.com/profile/13542258686214382921noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6461406011459210483.post-83534333506648296532017-06-14T17:58:00.000+02:002017-06-23T19:05:16.319+02:00Role-playing Rants: why I can't wait to read the Age of Sigmar RPG<h2>I'm still in the camp for AoS haters. I think that the Age of Sigmar is boring, uninspiring and generally a crappy legacy for the venerable Warhammer Fantasy. That's why I can't wait to read the upcoming role-playing game, set in this universe.</h2><div>I know that Age of Sigmar has come a long way, since its premiere in 2015. New models, new rules and new books from the Black Library are definetly helping in the developement of this setting. For me however, AoS still lacks that one thing, which could it actually make it interesting and worth checking out – the everyday factor. What I mean by that, is that I don't want to constantly read about Stormcast Eternals battling generic Khornate dudes in crimson armour, or Aelfs (sigh) duking it out with servants of Nurgle. I want to know how everyday life looks in this universe. I want to know how people live their lives in every one of the kingdoms that comprise the world of this game. I want to know what they're eating, what are their favorite drinks, how does the judical system work in every one of the "planes", and many other, mundane things, that help in creating a relatable and fascinating world.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Jux6BPUCuA4/WUFclZWWAOI/AAAAAAAACgI/at5qL9DH4DkCpwbGVQHdZIT4u1S6fkj1ACLcBGAs/s1600/WHAS-logo.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="148" data-original-width="657" height="72" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Jux6BPUCuA4/WUFclZWWAOI/AAAAAAAACgI/at5qL9DH4DkCpwbGVQHdZIT4u1S6fkj1ACLcBGAs/s320/WHAS-logo.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Can you do this for me, game?</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div>Warhammer Fantasy put huge emphasis on day to day lives of its people, and not just the Imperials. Hundreds of stories described everyday struggles of humans, elves, dwarves and more, and that, more then the huge and epic battles, made this world feel alive to me. WFRP made particulary good job in that department by offering titles like the "Old World Armoury" and "Shades of the Empire". The legendary "Gotrek &amp; Felix" saga taught me a lot about day-to-day lives of Karl Franz's subjects, and even lesser known titles did a great job for bringing the Old World to life. I personally feel that the Age of Sigmar lacks this "mortal" part of its world, and by extensions, feels less interesting and relatable.</div><div><br /></div><div>This is where the AoS RPG comes into play. Cubicle 7 announced that they will release this title, sometime next year, after the premiere of the 4th edition of WFRP. When I first heard about this, I laughed. I was thinking: how in the hell can anyone make a game about a bunch of golden dudes, beating a bunch of red dudes, interesting. Then it dawned on me, that this is actually the one chance that Age of Sigmar has, to show itself in a more positive way to people like me. People who still remember Warhammer Fantasy with fondness, who still play WFRP and older editions of Fantasy Battle tabletop game. Who can't wait for Total War: Warhammer 2 and the sequel to Warhammer Quest (even if it'll take place during the End Times).</div><div><br /></div><div>Newer generations of players don't have a problem with the Age of Sigmar, and I understand that, just like I understand people who jumped into this system, being tired of playing the poorly written 8th edition or just wanting something new. Some of us, however, still can't get over the fact that WFB is gone and are a tad bitter about that whole deal with the Mortal Realms and Ground Marines. I must admit that I'm slowly trying to change my view on AoS. I've discovered a fantastic group on Facebook, called the The Dark Age of Sigmar, which is full of great looking models, made in a dark and gritty style, much more in the spirit of the old Warhammer world. There is also the "City of Secrets" by Nick Horth, which shows the world through mortal eyes, rather then a pair, belonging to one of Sigmar's chosen. I've heard that it is very good and plan to read it, when I'll get the chance.</div><div><br /></div><div>I think AoS might have a potential to become a complex, intriguing setting, going beyond the "only war" aspect, which is currently its main selling appeal. I'm not beyond admitting that something, which started off badly, can become a thing of beauty and who knows - if Cubicle 7 will do their job right, I might start collecting a small force of Stormcasts one day. Of course they'd be very grim and dark, since the spit and polish look of most of them is extremly boring to me. For that, however, I need to sink my teeth into the meat of this world, and so far the meat is very thin and not that tasty. Come on Cubicle 7, send a big, fat steak my way. I want to taste the full flavor of the Age of Sigmar, and the upcoming RPG might just help me with that.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3i8OQyUd72M/WUFcwS1WY3I/AAAAAAAACgM/gW44Tyo_uP0BX5uqJfLrspU0cdVGUvghgCLcBGAs/s1600/age%2Bof%2Bsigmar%2Bartwork%2Bvaranaguards%2Bvs%2Bstormcast%2Beternals.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="646" data-original-width="1250" height="165" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3i8OQyUd72M/WUFcwS1WY3I/AAAAAAAACgM/gW44Tyo_uP0BX5uqJfLrspU0cdVGUvghgCLcBGAs/s320/age%2Bof%2Bsigmar%2Bartwork%2Bvaranaguards%2Bvs%2Bstormcast%2Beternals.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>I'll skip the face-bashing dessert, tough</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div>Until next time!</div><div><br /></div><div>Xathrodox86</div>Xathrodox86http://www.blogger.com/profile/13542258686214382921noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6461406011459210483.post-64149787096811683212017-05-25T15:47:00.000+02:002017-05-25T15:47:03.476+02:00Happy birthday! Kalevala Hammer is now 10 years old!<h2>How time flies! The great <a href="http://www.kalevalahammer.com/" target="_blank">Kalevala Hammer</a> website is now decade old!</h2><div>I still remember the first time, when I discovered Jackday's awesome website. His various timelines (including the one from Gotrek &amp; Felix series), creature PDF's and the wonderful Norsca sourcebook, have helped me many times, during my time as a WFRP Gamemaster. After the end of the controversial 3rd edition, Kalevalahammer was one of the lone islands of light in the void, keeping the flame alive.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OgJzSK88QbY/WSbfjdWTfSI/AAAAAAAACfo/UB0dwCW9-qc8GUkrZF0EBnQh8UMJ7ONMACLcB/s1600/KalevalaHammer_Logo_L.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="263" data-original-width="860" height="97" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OgJzSK88QbY/WSbfjdWTfSI/AAAAAAAACfo/UB0dwCW9-qc8GUkrZF0EBnQh8UMJ7ONMACLcB/s320/KalevalaHammer_Logo_L.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Happy birthday!</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div>When I myself felt that Warhammer Fantasy was not for me anymore, it was Kalevala Hammer, among other things, that helped me find my passion, once again. For that alone, Jackdays will have my everlasting gratitude.</div><div><br /></div><div>Anyway - check out his <a href="http://www.kalevalahammer.com/" target="_blank">website</a>, download his stuff and enjoy endless hours of hard work that he poured into Kalevala Hammer. He deserves it, as well you, for there's a ton of grade A, fan-made material there, perfect for Gamemasters and players alike. As the man himself had said: keep the hammer high!</div><div><br /></div><div>Until next time!</div><div><br /></div><div>Xathrodox86</div>Xathrodox86http://www.blogger.com/profile/13542258686214382921noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6461406011459210483.post-47648498499486273712017-05-23T17:09:00.004+02:002017-06-13T16:52:12.940+02:00Xathrodox86 reviews: "The Thirteenth Wolf" by Gav Thorpe<h2>It's no big secret that I'm a huge audiobook fan. They've helped me escape the boredom of a long bus drive and the tedium of long house chores.</h2><div>However I would gladly take a year of non-stop toilet cleaning, than listen to "The Thirteenth Wolf" one more time. This is it ladies and gentlemen - the absolute worst audiobook, ever produced by the Black Library.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/--IePXVq3auI/WSL9RN1naGI/AAAAAAAACe8/BTmch3Bk0gEskbQx_Qxo4G40iUF_Qu95wCLcB/s1600/13th-Wolf.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/--IePXVq3auI/WSL9RN1naGI/AAAAAAAACe8/BTmch3Bk0gEskbQx_Qxo4G40iUF_Qu95wCLcB/s320/13th-Wolf.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>The cover's pretty nice, tough</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div>I'm not even kidding, this thing fucking sucks. There is not a single, redeeming thing about this book, not one! You may think that I'm biased, because of who the author is but I can assure you that I'm not. Sure, Gav Thorpe singlehandedly made me quit collecting the Raven Guard with "Deliverance Lost", but I honestly don't think that he's a bad author. Even tough his first Raven Guard book was medicore at best, the latter titles, especially "Weregeld", were really enjoyable and he does Dark Angels exceptionally well. So I was actually really surprised at the "The Thirteenth Wolf's" low level of quality.</div><div><br /></div><div>This audiobook runs for 68 minutes, but it feels at least twice as long, and not in a good way. The story centres around the fabled Thirteenth Great Company of the Space Wolves legion. During the assault on Prospero the warriors of "Dekk-Tra" are tasked by their Primarch with eliminating key officers of the Thousand Sons, mainly their sorcerers. From the very beginning we are introduced to the most boring pack of Vlka Fenryka, ever. Led by Bulveye, the so called "Wolf Brothers" were the old guard of the VIth Legion. They fought at the side of Leman Russ himself, before the coming of the Emperor and were old men, when injected with Canis Helix. Anyway, Bulveye is not the only one of the heroes of this audio drama, but he's... the only memorable one. There were 9 other Wolves present, but neither one of them was interesting or developed in any way, that he could've been remembered. Aside from a small cameo from Geigor Fellhand, known primarily from the "Burning of Prospero" game, the "Thirteenth Wolf" has a bunch od dudes, whose names I couldn't even remember when I was halfway into the story. Really depressing, let me tell you.<br /><br />On the side of the traitors(?) things are looking similarly shitty. The main villian, altough calling him that is really pushing the term, is Izzakar Orr, a moustache-twirling sorcerer of the Thousand Sons. Orr is a typical saturday morning cartoon villian, straight from a Scooby Doo episode, spewing threats and running away at the last possible moment, before the Wolves can punch his ticket. I always liked good attention to detail, so I was very impressed to learn that the Thousand Sons' Librarians wore blue power armour. It's also worth mentioning that the people of Prospero are apparently gaunt, despite living under a scorching sun and having been presented as dusky skinned in almost all, previous 40K stories. Good job there.<br /><br />So anyway, the "Wolf Brothers" under Bulveye begin to chase the dastardly Orr through a series of magical portals, and if that sounds fucking stupid, that's because it is. The bluish madman leads them on a merry chase through time and space... literally. The Wolves visit the Planet of the Sorcerers, stand above a sun in the vacuum of space (don't ask), fight some Wulfen and... yeah, no one really cares. No one cares, because their adventures are presented in such a boring, uninspired way, that it is not even funny. When one of them dies, the reader dosen't feel anything, because there's a good chance that he did not even remembered the legionary's name, not to mention his unique traits. Assuming that he had any to begin with.<br /><br />Badly written characters and atrocious story aside, "The Thirteenth Wolf" is also very poorly produced. The background sounds are way too loud, often making the speech of various characters impossible to understand. I know that Black Library's short stories tend to use ambient sound a lot, but never before have I met with them being such poorly utilised. Not only that, but the actors speaking their lines also don't help. Sometimes they whisper so quietly that even turning the volume up to the maximum level did not helped. Few of the characters slur or speak in a growling voice, that makes it all but impossible to understand what the hell they are saying. However the absolute worst part came, when Bulveye and Orr spoke to each other across a huge chamber. When the old wolf spoke, he could be heard loud and clear, but with the Thousand Son, they've decided to make his voice sound, like he was standing a couple dozen meters away. The final effect was that he couldn't be heard at all, and cranking the volume up did not helped, except having my ears bombarded with decibles, when it was Bulvey's turn to speak and I did not had time to lower the sound. It was really unpleasant, to put it lightly.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BDEeCeQ-SQA/WSRQa4pRjbI/AAAAAAAACfM/sUYRtQbe2vg9bDwX0g1GPqcEDNQkI8erQCLcB/s1600/Noise_marine_2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BDEeCeQ-SQA/WSRQa4pRjbI/AAAAAAAACfM/sUYRtQbe2vg9bDwX0g1GPqcEDNQkI8erQCLcB/s320/Noise_marine_2.png" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>It's almost as fun as listening to one of &nbsp;those guys in a small room, with good interior acoustics</i></td></tr></tbody></table>It is really a testament to the shittiness of this book, that the author managed to make a story about jumping through time and space, not to mention the origins of the 13th Great Company's long hunt for the traitors, boring. I mean, how is it even possible? I don't know, but I hope never to read/listen to anything as bad as "The Thirteenth Wolf" ever again. I don't recommend this audio drama to anyone. Save your money and give this one a pass.<br /><br /><u>Pros:</u><br /><br />- It ends... eventually.<br /><br /><u>Cons:</u><br /><br />- Boring story.<br />- Heroes are bland and uninteresting.<br />- The villian is ridiculous and completely non-threatening.<br />- Very poor production quality.<br />- It's 68 minutes too long.<br />- You have to actually pay money for this thing. This should be illegal in itself.<br />- Hell, the fact that it exists at all is bad enough to warrant an Exterminatus on the whole Black Library.<br /><br />I need a fantasy fix, which is why my next post will contain a good portion of the good, Old World. Stay tuned.<br /><br />Until next time!<br /><br />Xathrodox86</div>Xathrodox86http://www.blogger.com/profile/13542258686214382921noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6461406011459210483.post-70470291318656513912017-05-04T17:14:00.000+02:002017-05-16T16:02:28.511+02:00My hopes and fears, concerning the 8th edition of Warhammer 40,000<h2>It's no big secret that I don't exactly enjoy the current iteration of WH40K. The rules are overbloated, needlessly convoluted and are favoring certain factions to the point of absurdity.</h2><h2><div style="font-size: medium; font-weight: normal;">Fortunately Games Workshop has announced that the 8th edition will soon hit the stores. Not only that, but a huge ammount of info has been released to the general public, including new rules and the contents of starter box. I must commend GW on their social media skills, they've really made a huge improvement in their online marketing department. Warhammer Community, answering people's questions on Facebook, Duncan's painting tips - all of these and more, are good indicators that our favorite plastic (and resin) crack dealer finally made a leap in the right direction.</div><div style="font-size: medium; font-weight: normal;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zxr9uwM9cDk/WQtDUAPAjSI/AAAAAAAACd8/Ssa73Pi2RR0UHCOwCEkF8iaYQtUWYYQYwCLcB/s1600/200px-DuncanFuckingRhodes.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zxr9uwM9cDk/WQtDUAPAjSI/AAAAAAAACd8/Ssa73Pi2RR0UHCOwCEkF8iaYQtUWYYQYwCLcB/s1600/200px-DuncanFuckingRhodes.JPG" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>You magnificent bastard!</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="font-size: medium; font-weight: normal;">Anyway, the 8th is coming and I'm super hyped for the complete rules overhaul, that it'll bring to the table. Not only they'll be easier to use, but from what we've seen, the power creep will be severly limited and most factions will, at least in theory, become equally strong on the tabletop. Now I know that it'll be probably just a matter of time, before some asshole, sitting in his dank basement, surrounded by empty Cheetos packs and Mountain Dew bottles, will come with another iteration of Iron Hands Chapter Master on a bike. Powergamers are a fact, sadly, but I'm still having hope that turning 40K in the direction of Age of Sigmar, when it comes to rules, will help to mitigate their cancerous presence.</div><div style="font-size: medium; font-weight: normal;"><br /></div><div style="font-size: medium; font-weight: normal;">Movement stats, new weapon rules and huge changes to morale are awesome. I also like the activation approach to close combat, and the fact that pistols are once again relevant! The formation nerf is also very welcome, since many of them are downright broken and not really fun to play against. If 8th will indeed put a price tag on each of them and also not make them OP, then I'll be very, very happy.</div><div style="font-size: medium; font-weight: normal;"><br /></div><div style="font-size: medium; font-weight: normal;">Now many people expressed concern about the lack of future codexes, in that 40K will use a system of AoS-like battle scrolls. I honestly think it's a very cool idea. Sure, printed codexes, supplement books and such are very nice, but more often than not, they're cluttered with unnecessary info and badly structured. Case in point, in my last game, during which we've spent quite a lot of time searching for different rules, even tough we've been playing 7th edition for years. Our frustration was coming from how the book has been written, with one rule, requiring an immediate searching for another. I know that AoS is largely free of this problem, which is a good thing. I still think that Age of Sigmar is a failed abortion, when it comes to lore and presentation, but their ruleset isn't bad, since the release of General's Handbook. If 40K will go similar way, I won't mind.</div><div style="font-size: medium; font-weight: normal;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FepcI1MGpZk/WQtDckol6SI/AAAAAAAACeA/ujpTjsf1UU8RwUZ4Rp2mWHg9tkPxRFtPQCLcB/s1600/18195038_839427026213105_4013708120132307372_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FepcI1MGpZk/WQtDckol6SI/AAAAAAAACeA/ujpTjsf1UU8RwUZ4Rp2mWHg9tkPxRFtPQCLcB/s320/18195038_839427026213105_4013708120132307372_n.jpg" width="277" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>I'm with Team Pooh on that one!</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="font-size: medium; font-weight: normal;">So yeah, overall I'm really, really glad about the upcoming 8th edition. Well, mostly. You see, while I admire the change of rules, simplified combat, digital codexes etc., there is one thing that irks me greatly. No, not even that - it pisses me off to no end. The direction that Games Workshop is taking 40K's lore.</div><div style="font-size: medium; font-weight: normal;"><br /></div><div style="font-size: medium; font-weight: normal;">So I've read the War Zone Fenris and Gathering Storm supplements. While the former was pretty good, bar the ending, which I've found to be a bit anticlimactic, the latter was pure shit. Seriously, it's that bad. I don't want to go into too much detail here, since there will probably be a separate post, regarding that crappy campaign. However I wanted you, my dear readers, to know one thing - with the release of those two campaigns, especially the Gathering Storm, GW finally showed what kind of future they're envisioning for Warhammer 40,000. Essentialy they'll go the way of WFB's The End Times, where everything had to be EPIC and AWESOME and EXPLOSIONS! This, combined with a complete demythologization of the entire setting, which, I'd like to remind everyone, is based on fucking myths, will make for a very poor experience.</div><div style="font-size: medium; font-weight: normal;"><br /></div><div style="font-size: medium; font-weight: normal;">Why am I raising the myth problem? Because Warhammer, both of them in fact, are build on the premise of myths and legends. In the late Fantasy game we had Sigmar, creating the Empire with sheer determination and force of will, not to mention a huge ammount of heroism and righteous asskicking. However it was 2500 years before the "current" times. His once great nation, has fallen into decline and decadence, worshipping him as a god, and whose name and deeds were used as a excuse for every, single act that Empire's ruling castes commited, no matter how vile and cruel it was.</div><div style="font-size: medium; font-weight: normal;"><br /></div><div style="font-size: medium; font-weight: normal;">In 40K it's basically the same, but with added technological regression, greatest heroes of the Imperium either dying, or leaving it in disgust or disillusion and a bigger time gap. Which works in favor of myths even more, building on a sense of lost greatness and dreams about a bright and better future. This is what made Warhammer 40,000 so endearing to so many people, myself included. It was the notion that altough the Primarchs and their Father ultimately failed, the common man is still fighting on, still trying to make a difference in a cruel and uncaring galaxy. No longer were the majority of wars fought by the superhuman Astartes, but by the endless, fragile masses of Imperial Guardsmen. The Inquisition was acting in a horrible, inhuman ways, but they did it, because there really was no alternative. After the horrors of the Horus Heresy, makind had to be coralled and put in check, with few, chosen souls, knowing the truth, which weighed heavily on them. This is what made this setting so special - losing so much of our past, letting that one chance for glory and salvation slip away into the night, coupled with humanity's will to push forward and never give up. Sure, there are fictional setting that did it before the existence of Warhammer, but it was 40K that did it so well and so completely on nearly every level.</div><div style="font-size: medium; font-weight: normal;"><br /></div><div style="font-size: medium; font-weight: normal;">So of course, they had to fuck it all up, by bringing the Primarchs back in the name of story progression. Now I'm fully in the "progress is bad" camp, when it comes to 40K, or should I say, when it comes to fictional settings. The story of Warhammer 40,000 has been told and we know how it ends. Basically the Chaos Gods win, that's it. The Emperor and mankind in general, had their chance, but because of daddy issues and general human weakness, they've screwed things up. Just as planned. However GW saw the popularity and cash that the Horus Heresy was generating, and decided that 40K needs to follow similar path. They've thought: "why not shit on nearly 30 years of established lore and bring back a Primarch? And if he sells really well, we'll bring more of them!". Of course, from a strictly buisness standpoint this is a good idea, but an author should remain true to the nature of his creation. In this case, GW is clearly showing the exact, same mindset, which they've employed in 2015, when they've decided to axe Warhammer Fantasy. Sure, WFB was in a bad shape and probably wasn't generating enough to warrant its future existence. This is not the case with 40K and we all know it.</div><div style="font-size: medium; font-weight: normal;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mVJbwbv--UM/WQtEPURbBXI/AAAAAAAACeI/h8b5t30Nv_ogMvxwdteK77c1en78kwrXgCLcB/s1600/20578b9560d3820e7f46ccb4eff0b4cf.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="100" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mVJbwbv--UM/WQtEPURbBXI/AAAAAAAACeI/h8b5t30Nv_ogMvxwdteK77c1en78kwrXgCLcB/s320/20578b9560d3820e7f46ccb4eff0b4cf.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>It's still going strong!</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="font-size: medium; font-weight: normal;">This game is doing good, maybe not as good as it used to, but good nonetheless. I personally think that pushing the story forward with that whole Indomitus Crusade and Guilliman creating new and better Space Marines, is just not right. It's not needed, since there is still so much to explore about the history of the Imperium. The Unification Wars, the Astropath Wars, creating a campaign book, based on the War of the Beast - the possibilities are many and varied. We don't need a Primarch returning, nor a Daemon Primarch (it was stated that once you become a Daemon Prince, you don't give two shits about material universe). We don't need new and improved Space Marines, we already have enough of them. Instead show some love to xenos like Orks or Tyranids, or flesh out more regiments of Imperial Guard. John French is working on a new series for Black Library, which will tell the story of the Horusian Wars. Why not make a tie-in supplement for 40K, giving the scions of Malcador more attention?</div><div style="font-size: medium; font-weight: normal;"><br /></div><div style="font-size: medium; font-weight: normal;">You didn't had to resort to stripping down the mythos of Warhammer 40,000. It was literally the one thing that made this universe so unique, and now you've took it all away. I hoppe that you have a good plan for the future of this setting, because I can already see the exact, similar mistakes that you've made with the End Times. Don't make the same errors twice, I beg you. You'll just lose more of your fans, including those who've been with you for a very long time. A few extra quid is not worth it, trust me.</div><div style="font-size: medium; font-weight: normal;"><br /></div><div style="font-size: medium; font-weight: normal;">I'm trying to remain optimistic, but Games Workshop is doing everything to make me stop believing in them. I hope that they won't succeed, I really do.</div><div style="font-size: medium; font-weight: normal;"><br /></div><div style="font-size: medium; font-weight: normal;">Until next time...</div><div style="font-size: medium; font-weight: normal;"><br /></div><div style="font-size: medium; font-weight: normal;">Xathrodox86</div></h2>Xathrodox86http://www.blogger.com/profile/13542258686214382921noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6461406011459210483.post-63162474041083877452017-04-20T02:41:00.000+02:002017-05-15T09:50:46.355+02:00Sharing is caring! On the topic of my WFRP collection<h2>I've been regularly playing RPG's since late 2008. For me it all started with Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay, a classic title and one with a huge following.</h2><div>During the course of my long and ilustrious career as a Gamemaster (don't like being a player, sorry), I've decided to collect as many fan-made material, as possible, for every system that I've ran. This includes Warhammer 40,000 RPG's, classic World of Darkness and, of course, the venerable WFRP. For that last title I have undoubtedly the biggest collection of freebie goodies, which "weighs" 3 gigabytes and consists of nearly 2000 files. All are catalogued, labeled and sorted in their respective directories. There are fan-made materials for all 3. editions of Warhammer Fantasy RPG, something that can be interesting to anyone, who's a fan of the Old World (and beyond!).</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2GpQIP2cE6o/WPdD5dfMjjI/AAAAAAAABZ4/RlYnn9CsLMo6hH9mx50c3VQVDnY1I3tzQCLcB/s1600/16602395_1349211481768462_8099562284918213627_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2GpQIP2cE6o/WPdD5dfMjjI/AAAAAAAABZ4/RlYnn9CsLMo6hH9mx50c3VQVDnY1I3tzQCLcB/s320/16602395_1349211481768462_8099562284918213627_o.jpg" width="211" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>There's artwork there, as well! Altough not that particular piece (picture by <a href="https://www.facebook.com/BlaszczecArt/?fref=ts" target="_blank">Bartek Błaszczeć</a>)</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div>Now I want to share this wealth with all of you. My PC is not getting younger and while I do have a few backups, it'd be a shame if something would happen to this collection. However my main motivation is simple - role-playing games, to me, are all about sharing with each other our experiences, joys and fun, that we're having with other people. It is not a hobby for the selfish and egocentric people, tough sadly many such folks tend to play these games, but I digress.</div><div><br /></div><div>This is for the fandom, for all of you. While there might be some truth in the phrase "nothing is lost in the internet", I tend to disagree. Many of this fan-made stuff is impossible to get anymore, even with tools such as Wayback Machine. Time is merciless and I shudder to think that many, fine addons created by the fans, are no longer available in any way. By sharing my collection, I'm making sure that the incredible work of so many, talented people will not fade away into the nothingness of the web. Or at least that the chance for this to happen, will be marginally smaller.</div><div><br /></div><div>Now a few things to add from me. <b><span style="color: lime;"><u>First of all:</u></span></b> all of this stuff, <span style="color: red;"><u><b><span style="color: red;">ALL OF IT IS FAN-MADE!</span></b></u></span>&nbsp;I'm not hosting any, official and paid material and will not reply to any questions, that might concern this topic, so don't even bother asking me about it. I'm thinking about this initiative as a sort of a legal shareware for role-playing games. Even tough there are a few FAQ's and Erratas here, they were freely available to all, who liked to have them in their collection. Same goes with artworks. They're from the (now defunct) Black Industries website, where they were readily offered to anyone, interested in using them in their games of WFRP. Just FYI.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><span style="color: cyan;"><u>Secondly:</u></span></b>&nbsp;I don't take credit for any of this stuff. It's been made by hundreds of devoted fans from all over the world, and while I can't credit them all here, most of their documents have been signed, so I don't feel like I'm harming them and their work and effort, in any way. That said, if any of the people, whose work I'm posting here, will feel that I'm actually doing them a disservice, please write to me and I will delete the files in question. However I want to once again remind all of my readers, that what I'm doing here, I'm doing for the good of all WFRP fans, whom I think should benefit from the work of so many, talented writers and authors of so many, fantastic modules.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><span style="color: magenta;"><u>Thirdly:</u></span></b> most of my collection is in english, but a large part of it is also in polish. I hope that anyone who'll stumble upon it, will find something useful inside.<br /><br />Here's a link from which you can download the whole, fan-made package. Enjoy!<br /><br /><b><a href="https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B78tEyor-_2DdU9TLTVUaW5VMjg" target="_blank">https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B78tEyor-_2DdU9TLTVUaW5VMjg </a></b></div><div><br /></div><div>In time I will also upload my collection to a FTP server and include a link in this post. I will, of course, inform about that in one of my latter articles. I will also add this post to the "Attention, Citizens!" section of my blog, which can be viewed on the right side of "It always rains...".</div><div><br /></div><div>So... that's it from me. I hope that you'll find this humble collection useful in your games of Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay, I hope that it will bring you as much joy as it brings me and I also hope that you will share the wealth of so many people's hard and fantastic work. All credit for this post goes to the authors of these hundreds of fan-made materials. Without them, and their awesome talent and hard work, I would not be able to write it. Thank you all, from the bottom of my heart.</div><div><br /></div><div>Jack Days from <a href="http://www.kalevalahammer.com/" target="_blank">"Kalevala Hammer"</a>&nbsp;website.</div><div><br /></div><div>Gideon from <a href="https://awesomeliesblog.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">"Awesome Lies"</a>.</div><div><br /></div><div>Lauri Maijala a.k.a. doc_cthulhu from <a href="http://dailyempire.guildredemund.net/" target="_blank">"The Daily Empire"</a>&nbsp;blog.</div><div><br /></div><div>The awesome crew of <a href="http://www.liberfanatica.net/index.html" target="_blank">"Liber Fanatica"</a>.</div><div><br />Everyone on the fantastic <a href="http://forum.strike-to-stun.net/" target="_blank">"Strike to Stun"</a> forums.<br /><br /></div><div>A ton of people from&nbsp;<a href="http://polter.pl/" target="_blank">"POLTERGEIST"</a>.</div><div><br /></div><div>And many, many more. Keep on being awesome guys. It is thanks to peeps like you, that this game is still alive and kicking. Now a quick info fot my readers: please be sure to check out these pages and blogs. They're the major contributors to keeping WFRP alive and going strong. Here's hoping that they'll never stop, and that I'll be here, assisting them in this quest.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XqNvQPB69do/WPdFoj3HKwI/AAAAAAAABaE/pDkFrSRP5bgDRWbVuUOGx2_Jxaun0L3pgCLcB/s1600/WFRP-Designer-Diary-Career-Opportunities-_bw27668.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XqNvQPB69do/WPdFoj3HKwI/AAAAAAAABaE/pDkFrSRP5bgDRWbVuUOGx2_Jxaun0L3pgCLcB/s320/WFRP-Designer-Diary-Career-Opportunities-_bw27668.jpg" width="226" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Good job guys!</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div><span style="color: red;"><u><b>Addendum:</b></u></span> I've deleted a couple of files that were legally dubious. I've also added fan-made expansions for "The Enemy Within" and "The Thousand Thrones" campaigns. I'll probably be updating this collection, once every quarter of the year, and will inform about any, new goodies, that will make their way in there.<br /><br />Until next time!</div><div><br /></div><div>Xathrodox86</div>Xathrodox86http://www.blogger.com/profile/13542258686214382921noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6461406011459210483.post-56134301349455638042017-04-07T17:41:00.000+02:002017-04-23T02:12:24.016+02:00Role-playing Rants: GM what you want or don't do it at all<h2>What happens when your group really wants to play that one system, that they love so much and read so much about, but you, as a Gamemaster, actually hate it? Simple - you tell them: no.</h2><div>As hard as it can be, sometimes people need to hear a simple "no", even when it comes to mundane, less important things, like RPG's for example. This hobby is all about common, mutual understanding and having an open mind. However one also needs to remember, that sometimes we'll encounter something, that simply isn't for us. Whether or not it's about rules, setting or atmosphere, sometimes it's simply impossible to like a title, albeit it's always good to actually articulate and explain what is so bad about it.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HAI6H8wRx7A/WOexxtqaQaI/AAAAAAAABZI/gskAgg-ebtIwcv06zyJ0BvFP37V1sLIlwCLcB/s1600/6a00e5511e75a088330148c800a4ce970c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HAI6H8wRx7A/WOexxtqaQaI/AAAAAAAABZI/gskAgg-ebtIwcv06zyJ0BvFP37V1sLIlwCLcB/s1600/6a00e5511e75a088330148c800a4ce970c.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>After all, communication is the key</i></td></tr></tbody></table>Now RPG's, being a social hobby, are all about compromise - it's usually a good idea to relent to majority's choice, even if it means playing a title that we don't really enjoy. Hey, next time it'll be them who will be oblieged to accept our choice, right? Unless they're egoistical douchebags, but if that's the case, it is probably wise to just dump them and find new, better people to play with. You see, it's all about compromise and mutual agreement. This month we're playing Pathfinder, next month we'll play Numenera. Easy as that, eh?</div><div><br /></div><div>Sure, as long as you're not the one running the game.</div><div><br /></div><div>Before you start accusing me of being an egoistical, self-centered bastard, allow me to explain. Yes, I am the "forever GM" kind of guy. I don't really like playing these games, I like running them. I have a full control of the world I create, I can act as all manner of characters, not just one. I don't have a problem of not agreeing with others on how they're running their games. Perhaps it's a sign of egocentrism or megalomania, but then again I do run these games with one goal and one goal only - the enjoyment of my players. Nothing else really matters to me.</div><div><br /></div><div>However I also know myself pretty well and there are character traits, that I posses, which will inadvertently play a major part in this hobby of mine. One of them is the complete and utter reluctance to run something, which I don't really like. I can play a game, that dosen't really interest me, but I will never run it myself. Simple as that. In my opinion a Gamemaster who allows himself to run something, that pisses him off, is not only making sure that he'll have a bad time, but also that his players will have it as well. When you're a player and you are participating in a game, which isn't exactly your cup of tea, it's easier to stomach it. After all, you can always find something cool about it, or at least try. Maybe the music that GM is playing, gets to you, or there are certain elements of the world that are ok. Who knows? There's also the knowledge that, sooner or later, you'll finish this adventure or campaign, and will be able to propose another system, one that you actually like and enjoy.<br /><br />It looks completely different when you're actually in charge of the game. I know that I'll probably get a lot of crap saying that, but Gamemasters do a lot more work and have to put much bigger effort into these games, than players. All they need to do is roleplay and get into their characters. More than often they do not even need to know the rules, besides the basics. They come to a game, sit on a couch, drink a beer, eat some Cheetos, roll a couple of dice and just enjoy the world, which the GM has created. Gamemaster, on the other hand, needs to put a ton of effort into his game, making sure that his players will have fun and will want to come back for more. Creating a fascinating, multi-level plot, generating NPC's, making sure that each player will have at least a single, individual plot point etc. All of this, and more, needs to be done, in order for a session to be successful and memorable. So that there will be more than one.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SmMS4ll50No/WOeya8x4okI/AAAAAAAABZQ/AYoVZ9aNTpkW0DNLW8fzlCuj4hB8nZSoQCLcB/s1600/gY6sSvz.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="222" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SmMS4ll50No/WOeya8x4okI/AAAAAAAABZQ/AYoVZ9aNTpkW0DNLW8fzlCuj4hB8nZSoQCLcB/s320/gY6sSvz.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>That you'll actually be able to grab all that sweet, sweet loot!</i></td></tr></tbody></table>Now imagine that you, as a GM, have to do it, while also loathing the actual system, that you're playing. Sounds like fun? No, not really. Trust me, I've been there. A few years back I was GM'ing a game, which I've absolutely loathed. I've did it in order to preserve our back-then group (which in the end didn't worked out anyway), but it was probably the worst RPG experience, I ever had. The worst part was, that I knew what I was doing was wrong. I didn't had a slightest interest in the game, I've created half-assed plots and generally was waiting for our sessions to end as soon as possible. I wasn't interested in the story, in my players' characters, in mechanics, in literally nothing. Even my usual method of reading, watching and playing a lot of things, related to the game that I'm currently running, was for naught. It was because I was running a game, despite not wanting to do that and despite myself. Which was wrong and should've never had happened. It showed during our sessions, and I wonder to this day if my players saw it or not, and if they did - what did they thought about it? I certainly knew that I was doing a bad job, and felt bad with that. However it did taught me something important: the ability to clearly express what I want, and don't, want to play. What I can, and what I will not GM. A very unpleasant lesson, but one that needed to be assimilated.<br /><br />After that unwelcome experience, I've promised myself, never to do that again. I'll never, for anyone or anything, GM a game, which I don't want to GM, which I don't have a desire to play, to run. Even if it'd mean the end of my group, I won't do it and I advise anyone to do likewise. Players may want to play a system that they love and admire, very badly, but if the Gamemaster dosen't like it, or dosen't want to play it at that certain time, as was in my case, then it should't be played. Simple as that. Because otherwise, everyone will have a bad time - GM, cause he'll struggle with running something that he dosen't want to run, and his players, because they'll see and experience his lack of enthusiasm and willingness to create a world, in which they'll have to immerse themselves. There will be no winners here, only losers. Trust me, forcing your point and desire, is not worth a bad, tabletop experience. Sometimes it's better to understand that we'll not always play what we want, at least for some time, or who knows: maybe never! It's harsh, I know, but it happens.<br /><br />These games are all about people so ask yourselves, is it worth it to loose a cool bunch of gaming buddies, because they did not wanted to play that one game, that you really like. Ask yourselves, if it's worth sacrificing your relationship with others, for a game.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-icuVbVG9uSE/WOeyqS1j81I/AAAAAAAABZU/0x0OYIUjshI9qjXU-u0kF4KP3j6npVOcgCLcB/s1600/people-when-they-re-sick-and-stays-late-when-needed-which-is-often-2PO7p6-clipart.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-icuVbVG9uSE/WOeyqS1j81I/AAAAAAAABZU/0x0OYIUjshI9qjXU-u0kF4KP3j6npVOcgCLcB/s320/people-when-they-re-sick-and-stays-late-when-needed-which-is-often-2PO7p6-clipart.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Here's a small hint</i></td></tr></tbody></table>I know the answer to that question and I hope, that you know it as well.<br /><br />Until next time!<br /><br />Xathrodox86</div>Xathrodox86http://www.blogger.com/profile/13542258686214382921noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6461406011459210483.post-81538359341972344162017-03-21T12:04:00.002+01:002017-04-25T15:50:01.769+02:00Xathrodox86 reviews: "Call To Arms" by Mitchel Scanlon<h2>Continuing my reviews of the "Empire Army" series, I give you the "Call To Arms" by Mitchel Scanlon.</h2><div>After the excellent "Warrior Priest", I had quite high expectations of other books from the "Empire Army" series. As a long time fan of the Empire of Man, there's very little that can force me from reading and liking anything, that futures lots of normal dudes, with fabulous mustaches, packing black poweder weapons. "Call To Arms" is no exception, but there are things, that really irked me, during my experience with this particular book.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yp-KlXkb75A/WNEH1-KfuiI/AAAAAAAABYo/dXAoni8lFXIkRrp-tuGA1gbAzAovS9x5wCLcB/s1600/51eBfUnSmWL._SY344_BO1%252C204%252C203%252C200_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yp-KlXkb75A/WNEH1-KfuiI/AAAAAAAABYo/dXAoni8lFXIkRrp-tuGA1gbAzAovS9x5wCLcB/s320/51eBfUnSmWL._SY344_BO1%252C204%252C203%252C200_.jpg" width="198" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>The cover is pretty sweet, gotta be honest here</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div>The main hero, one Dieter Lanz, is a young soldier, who joins the elite Hochland regiment, the Scarlets. Soon he must cope with the harsh reality of war, as a huge Greenskin invasion threatens the entire province, and perhaps the Empire itself.</div><div><br /></div><div>Dieter is someone, who can easily be called a wonder child. He's only 18 years old, but already his mastery of the blade is phenomenal. Schooled by his retired foster father, Helmut Schau, who was once a member of the Scarlets, and taught the ethos of honor and duty, Dieter is a prime example of a fine soldier - obedient, honorable and one that can be reilied upon to do what's right.</div><div><br /></div><div>That's why he wasn't able to work for me.</div><div><br /></div><div>I don't have anything against "so good that they're impossible" characters in fiction. On the contrary, sometimes I like reading about guys and gals who are paragons of virtue and nobility, but in Lanz's case this simply does not work. He's too young and too inexperienced as a soldier, to be taken seriously, but at the same time, there's nothing that can touch him. Beastmen, Orcs, even his fellow soldiers - Dieter dosen't give a crap. He'll wade right through them, without breaking a sweat. Now, if he'd been his foster dad, Helmut, I wouldn't have a problem with that. However he's just a snot nosed kid, without any combat experience, making him effectively a soldier-virgin. I can't accept someone like that to go toe to toe with an Orc or a Bestigor, without a good explanation on why he is able to do it. Simple as that really.</div><div><br /></div><div>All right, so with that out of the way we can move on to the main plot itself. As mentioned before, a huge force of Greenskins is making its way through the province of Hochland, and soon it becomes clear that their leader is not your ordinary, dumb Orc. Through some impressive examples of tactical genius and a lot of tactical ineptitude on the humies part, the armies of the Emperor are routed. It falls to the retired general Ludwig Von Grahl to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat, but is it even possible at this point? After all, the humans are few, but their enemy are legion.</div><div><br /></div><div>Now this is simply the best part of "Call To Arms" - presenting Greenskins as a legitimate threat. Way too often they've been portrayed as punching bags or comic relief villians in Warhammer fiction, but no in this book. Here, Orcs and Goblins are truly terrifying, and we see first hand how big a threat they can pose, when there's a competent leader at their head. From the ambushes of Goblin Wolf Riders, to rampaging Trolls, every Greenskins fan will find something statisfying here, while the dutiful servants of Karl Franz, will surely learn to respect the ancient enemies of Sigmar, a bit more.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DKbiCAOkS1s/WNEIZ7a96-I/AAAAAAAABYw/u-2WSAonhak8cTHrhhtblmRHk7xxVirwwCLcB/s1600/4647410-8795946656-orcbn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="103" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DKbiCAOkS1s/WNEIZ7a96-I/AAAAAAAABYw/u-2WSAonhak8cTHrhhtblmRHk7xxVirwwCLcB/s320/4647410-8795946656-orcbn.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Give them the respect which they deserve!</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div>This is an "Empire Army" novel, so any reader should expect a lot of hardcore, brutal fighting and visceral battles. Scanlon dosen't dissapoint. The engagements between soldiers of the Emperor and Greenskins are visceral and merciless. No quarter is asked, nor given and that's how I like my fantasy fiction. While the supporting cast is a bit bland, we soon learn to care about these men, viewed by the eyes of Dieter Lanz. However there's another thing that really irked me in this book, and now I'll have to enter the mild spoiler territory, in order to talk about it.</div><div><br /></div><div>The Scarlets are a professional, swordsmen regiment, comprised of many, fine soldiers. However, there are also a couple of rotten apples, present in its ranks. Of course it is Dieter that they have a beef with, since the young man catches them on looting the dead. A dead, old lady to be more precise, one that, it is strongly implied, the dastardly duo have murdered in cold blood. Later, when the Scarlets are forced to abandon field, after the army of Hochland gets routed, Lanz catches one of the bastards, as he's trying to choke a heavily wounded comrade in his sleep! The best part is, that he takes it to the rest of the regiment (who, by the way, know how much of a sleazebag that particular soldier is), who decide that... nothing really happened. Oh sure, Dieter dosen't exactly have a photographic evidence, but the soldier in question even propsoed to mercy kill the wounded man, some time before, as to not get slowed down. Seriously, how stupid are these people?</div><div><br /></div><div>Now it's time for the spoiler part, so take that into consideration. In the final battle, the two ne'er-do-wells are ordered by their commander to effectively sacrifice themselves, as to buy more time for Von Grahl's plan to work. They oblige, which is bullshit, since these two have been consistently shown as not caring one bit, about anyone else, but themselves. What's worse however, is that when they die heroically, Dieter gives them a sendoff in his mind, thinking of them as true heroes, depiste witenssing them robbing the corpse of an old lady (whom they might've murdered) and trying to kill a wounded comrade in his sleep. Bull-fucking-shit. In fact, now that I think about it, it's not Lanz's character that pissed me off so much in "Call To Arms". No, it was the poorly written, "we are all soldiers, able to do what's right at the right time" story arc. It's like discovering that Archaon was really a good guy, because he helped to get a kitty down from a tree, that one time.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TD4PRsE_A_A/WNEIAv-kebI/AAAAAAAABYs/-qXE4rJg-lIpMSgELj_FN2S7w5fEWyJJwCLcB/s1600/500px-Archaon.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="281" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TD4PRsE_A_A/WNEIAv-kebI/AAAAAAAABYs/-qXE4rJg-lIpMSgELj_FN2S7w5fEWyJJwCLcB/s320/500px-Archaon.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>In all fairness, he probably skinned it alive afterwards</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div>Oh and Kurt Helborg makes a cameo, something that's always welcome. I have an unashamed man crush on the Reiksmarshall, so seeing him act all badass, automatically redeems almost anything bad, that he stars in.</div><div><br /></div><div>Not that "Call To Arms" is bad, mind you. It's a decently written, military novel about duty, honor, sacrifice and how a single cretin can doom a whole province's army, due to his ineptitude. I've honestly enjoyed reading about Greenskins being a legitimate threat, and combat scenes were expertly written. While I couldn't force myself to take Dieter Lanz seriously as a master swordsman, his evolution as a soldier, being forced to mature very quickly, was genuienly interesting and believable.</div><div><br /></div><div>Except that part, when he thought that two grave robbing murderers, were not so bad after all. Yeah, that part kinda sucked.</div><div><br /></div><div>All in all, give the "Call To Arms" a try. It's not bad, and for anyone collecting a Hochland army, this one is a must.</div><div><br /></div><div><u>Pros:</u></div><div><br /></div><div>- Great combat and battle scenes.</div><div>- Orcs and Goblins as credible villians.</div><div>- Interesting view into the heart of an elite, Empire regiment.</div><div>- Kurt Helborg!</div><div><br /></div><div><u>Cons:</u></div><div><br /></div><div>- Wonder child protagonists, please go and don't come back.</div><div>- The redemption arc truly sucked. Like really, really bad.</div><div><br /></div><div>Until next time!</div><div><br /></div><div>Xathrodox86</div>Xathrodox86http://www.blogger.com/profile/13542258686214382921noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6461406011459210483.post-72386963478552388762017-03-03T17:54:00.003+01:002017-03-26T18:54:27.970+02:00Role-playing Rants: do we really need another edition of WFRP?<h2>For a few weeks now we know that Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay will return. GW sold the rights to their venerable RPG, and it looks like Cubicle7 will be the distributer of all things grim and perilous. But is it really a good thing?</h2>There's no doubt that WFRP is a timeless classic, no matter how you look at it. From the ancient, but still viable 1st edition, to the controversial, almost-like-a-board-game 3rd - this game raised thousands of avid roleplayers, over the course of a couple decades. Sadly, as its parent franchise got killed off, it too fell into oblivion. Long before the End Times, Fantasy Flight Games, which held the rights to the franchise, after Black Industries, ended their developement of the controversial 3rd edition. A few books and card decks (sigh) were only available on demand. Some time later, Games Workshop decided to withdraw their license from FFG and... it all went quiet. Until Licensing Expo 2016 in Las Vegas, where they were spotted, while they were offering a bunch of their licenses. Back then, there wasn't a 100% confirmation if the license for WFRP has been sold, but now it seems that indeed such was the case. Cubicle 7 Entertainment, a publisher for Doctor Who card games and the One Ring RPG, among other things, has reportedly acquired the rights to Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay.<br /><br />Is it really a good thing?<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qkurtOqG6u4/WLmZFcESCxI/AAAAAAAABX0/7YA2o0eM7KUxSFTA28JKgGERcg3adGLywCLcB/s1600/Dude%252Bi%252Bcan%252Bt%252Bdraw%252Bthat%252Bwell%252Band%252Bi%252Bhaven%252Bt%252B_b5ee466145f885b095f8ef584a0af009.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qkurtOqG6u4/WLmZFcESCxI/AAAAAAAABX0/7YA2o0eM7KUxSFTA28JKgGERcg3adGLywCLcB/s1600/Dude%252Bi%252Bcan%252Bt%252Bdraw%252Bthat%252Bwell%252Band%252Bi%252Bhaven%252Bt%252B_b5ee466145f885b095f8ef584a0af009.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>I'm not so sure...</i></td></tr></tbody></table>Don't get me wrong, I'm glad that WFRP will continue to exist on the market. At this moment, it's harder and harder to buy even basic 2nd edition books, not to mention those from the older days of the 1st. There have been rumours that Cubicle 7 may do some reprinting of older Warhammer Fantasy material, and that's a really cool thing. I know that many people, myself included, would love to fill their collection with missing sourcebooks (Realm of the Ice Queen, I need you!) and adventures. However I'm worried. You see, there's this nagging doubt that I have, which just won't go away. It's telling me that they will fuck it up, just like FFG did. Oh, don't get me wrong, I think that the third edition of WFRP wasn't a complete disaster. In fact it was a pretty decent game in itself, if kind of a test pattern for FFG's later titles, but the thing is, it was not what most people wanted. After the 2nd edition, which brought many, positive changes to seriously outdated Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay, we recieved... a board game. Worse, it was a board game, dressed as a roleplaying game, which forced you to buy seriously overpriced addons, if you wanted to play it. Without the dice and the markers, there was no way in hell, that the game could be played in any way. Player's Vault, one of the last books for the 3rd edition, adressed that issue, but it was released too late. People were already pissed off, and more and more of them were abandoning this sinking ship, leaving it to rot at the bottom of the Sea of Claws.<br /><br />Of course the fault was entirely on the publishers' side. FFG is a company which mainly produces board games, and they've never even pretended to do otherwise. Good for them, but when you develop RPG's, you need something more than just a few, funky dice and weird counters. FFG adressed this by treating their RPG's like a scientist or an engineer, treats his work: if at first you won't succeed...<br /><br />WFRP 3rd edition was a testing ground, which helped in the creation of the excellent Star Wars: Edge of the Empire. A test subject, if you will, used to see which rules will work in a roleplaying game, and which should be avoided. Similarilly, Dark Heresy 1st edition, and the following 40K RPG's were ultimately used to develop Only War, which was the best title of them all, with the least ammount of bugs, bad rules and balance issues. Then again, FFG shot itself in the foot once again, when they've developed Dark Heresy 2nd edition, a complete and utter shitfest, which, thankfully, died pretty quickly. Some people never learn, I guess...<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7zd83yioCOg/WLmZX3laZUI/AAAAAAAABX4/u6wf8WKRgJUdppBQbuaLxjSeMxcnl4SVwCLcB/s1600/dark_heresy_second_edition_front.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7zd83yioCOg/WLmZX3laZUI/AAAAAAAABX4/u6wf8WKRgJUdppBQbuaLxjSeMxcnl4SVwCLcB/s320/dark_heresy_second_edition_front.jpg" width="243" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Pictured: a big mistake</i></td></tr></tbody></table>Nowadays, roleplaying games are generally made in such a way, that you don't need two weeks of learning the rules, memorising tables and stats columns. Most of the modern RPG's are quick to master, both for gamemasters and players alike, which is a godsend, and actually helps in bringing up new people to the hobby. We are living in a time, where everything has to be done fast and without delay, which means that our entertainment also needs to adapt, if it wants to stay relevant. FFG did not understood that, and ultimately they have failed. Altough some of their games, like Dark Heresy 1st edition and Only War, can be considered successful, most of their RPG's were bloated with rules, tables and charts, not to mention overcomplicated rulesets. I honestly believe that these were the main factors which made them lose their license, for making more GW games as well as continue publishing those already developed. I hope that Cubicle 7 Entertainment won't make similar mistakes, when creating another edition of WFRP, if they'll make one at all. I don't want the potential 4th edition of this game, to be a rules-heavy monster, which'll drive potential players away, with too much stuff, cramped into it. Simples as that, really.<br /><br />Honestly, I'd just be happy if they'll make a full-scale reprint of the previous Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay games, and I think I'm not the only one. Sure, a new version of this venerable classic would be nice, but ultimately not necessary. At least in my opinion.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2MDN4zUcDZs/WLmfjITbxHI/AAAAAAAABYM/E99zGwaNeTQay4SWu9yIs1y3HhOj-8v1ACLcB/s1600/Warhammer_fantasy_roleplay_cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2MDN4zUcDZs/WLmfjITbxHI/AAAAAAAABYM/E99zGwaNeTQay4SWu9yIs1y3HhOj-8v1ACLcB/s320/Warhammer_fantasy_roleplay_cover.jpg" width="245" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>That's all I really need, if I want to hunt some Beastmen</i></td></tr></tbody></table>Until next time!<br /><br />Xathrodox86Xathrodox86http://www.blogger.com/profile/13542258686214382921noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6461406011459210483.post-56563162335536267032017-02-17T16:12:00.000+01:002017-02-17T16:25:51.305+01:00Xathrodox86 goes on a rant: go WAAC yourself<h2>Yup, it's gonna be one of those articles. Where I spew a lot vitriol and impotent rage on a completely unimportant thing, concerning little, plastic men and their big, fleshy owners.</h2><div>I think we can all agree that most people play tabletop to just have a bit of fun. You know, after a whole week of hard work, paying the bills, visiting a doctor and so on, there are few better things that let you relax, than a few dice rolls, a cold one with your opponent and maybe grabbing an unexpected victory. You know, just having a jolly good time and making sure that your sparring partner also had fun.</div><div><br /></div><div>Or is it? Because lately, it seems to me that more and more people don't play for fun, or at least not for the healthy sort of fun, that is normally assosciated with tabletop gaming. No, they're playing to win. At all costs.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8n9y962pwds/WKcMpceJ9hI/AAAAAAAABU4/9yue7FIDBY4EzWc184m3ZK5kWf4d9mJQwCLcB/s1600/win%2Bat%2Ball%2Bcosts.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="127" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8n9y962pwds/WKcMpceJ9hI/AAAAAAAABU4/9yue7FIDBY4EzWc184m3ZK5kWf4d9mJQwCLcB/s320/win%2Bat%2Ball%2Bcosts.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Tabletop gaming is serious buisness</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div>Hence the dreaded term "WAAC". Which I hate with a burning passion.</div><div><br /></div><div>Now, I'm going to speak purely from my own experience in playing 40K for many years, but also from reading people's posts on almost every, single 30K/40K Facebook group, that I have subscribed over the years. Of course it's only my opinion, but from my observations and personal experience, I think that this trend is becoming increasingly worse. Nowadays you can rarely see a battle report, where one, or both sides, decided not to deploy their strongest, often times downright broken forces. I think that this trend began fully during the time of 6th and 7th editions formation spam. Suddendly every army, or at least most of them, recieved a bunch of specific formations, with unique rules. Some of them were mildly useful, while others were downright game breaking. Of course Space Marines got most of them, as well as some of the best ones, while Eldar and Tau also got their xenos paws on some tasty options. Riptide wing, for example, is downright nasty. Other factions got a few fomations as well, some of them good, others not so much, but that's not what I want to talk about really. At least not now.</div><div><br /></div><div>You see, with the inclusion of so many, new army options, it quickly became clear that Games Workshop did not perform and excessive cross-testing between those new formations and their codices. That meant basically, that people started to search for the most game-breaking combos possible. A good example is the infamous Gorgon Chain-wielding SM Chapter Master on a bike, a.k.a. Smashfucker. Stick him into a command squad with a few Stormshields and an Apothecary, and he's nigh on unkillable by almost anything, save a Primarch. Even then, few of the Emperor's Sons will strugle to bring down that monstrosity. Yeah, someone found a way to bring something like that to the table. Why? I think I know the answer. Keep reading, and you'll find it.</div><div><br /></div><div>This is the first, glaring problem - essentialy finding a legitimate way to deploy the most overpowered shit, possible on the table, while defending one's actions as "legal" and using arguments, such as "well I did it, so you could have done it as well". I don't really have to comment on that type of rethoric, but fear not, I will. In due time.</div><div><br /></div><div>Next we have the GW's alarming trend of strengthening certain armies, while leaving others in the cold. So you want to tell me that I can't deploy my CSM Alpha Legion, using Iron Warriors tactics, but it's ok for Vanilla Space Marines from the White Scars, to utilize Iron Hands formations? What about the infamous "Angels of Death" supplement, that instantly turned Astartes into the best and, in the opinion of many, myself included, one of the most broken armies in the current meta? Suddendly they recieve their own psychic powers, which again, compared to the "new and unique" powers available to their traitorous cousins, are downright insane. Oh and no other imperial faction may use them, because fuck you. As to not be monothematic however, the brand new "Fracture of Biel-Tan" turned the Eldar, which were already one of the top tier armies in 7th edition, into literal rape train without any brakes. By the way, I see a very nice symmetry between the "Gathering Storm" campaign and the "End Times" for the deceased WFB. By that I mean that the rules for armies, well certain armies, are completely over the top, while the actual writing sucks horribly. I will certainly raise this topic in the future, fear not.</div><div><br /></div><div>Above examples show us, rather clearly, that GW turned their marketing strategy towards a "pay to win" sort of direction. You want to be competitive? You need to have a super heavy walker. Imperial Knights are a must, nowadays, just like any other huge walker. It's a shame that Tyranids don't really have one, but their codex sucks anyways, so whatever, right? Oh and the Dark Eldar don't have one, as well... Well, if anyone plays them, it's their own, damn fault. I think you know where I'm going with this. Together with the selecitve formation spam, GW is clearly showing us that some of their armies are more worthy of collecting them, than the others. Worse, they clearly show that you should play as strongest and taylored army as possible. This, coupled with a clear favortism for the select few factions, getting exclusive, incredibly good stuff (Custodians for the Imperium players come to mind), not only destabilises the game, but also raises a generation of spoiled, self-entitled, egoistical and uncaring twats. Which is horrible.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4BimTWEHSyk/WKcNHjIaBSI/AAAAAAAABU8/A1O-c-oPvWURAibZCzUcPJbDWB4dp0HPQCLcB/s1600/hqdefault%2B%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4BimTWEHSyk/WKcNHjIaBSI/AAAAAAAABU8/A1O-c-oPvWURAibZCzUcPJbDWB4dp0HPQCLcB/s320/hqdefault%2B%25281%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Not for said twats, of course</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div>And many people are buying it, in every sense of the word, becoming said twats. Worse, they feel that it's a natural thing, having a formation that allows a better Jink save, together with a bucket of Grav weapons (all with re-rolls for wounding!) and a Knight. If they can find a way to deploy some balls to the wall insane combo, they will do it and justify it in their own way. Usually in a very, very poor manner like: "but your army has this and this" or "but that other army is stronger", and so on. Of course they will not want to hear about their faction being especially strong ("army x is stronger!") or that their list is not fun to play against ("you could make a strong one as well!"), That's what WAAC mentality does to a person - it turns them into a self entitled douchebag, who forgets the principal rule of any game: that it should be fun for both players, not just one. You're not playing alone, you're playing with another person. It is your duty to make sure that he or she, also enjoys the game. If you want to play with yourself, well... tabletop just isn't for you.</div><div><br /></div><div>It should be mentioned at this point, that this kind of mentality and play style is not GW's fault. Sure, they're promoting this kind of gameplay and behavior, but it's the player himself, who decided to follow it. People don't become WAAC's, because they were forced to. They're doing that because they want to do that. Why? Beats me. Maybe they're obsessed with winning, maybe they want to recompense their, otherwise, mundane, boring lives. Maybe they're frustrated at the world around them, at their lives, who knows? But you know what? Fuck them.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cw8zzMMVZJc/WKcORiZB2II/AAAAAAAABVI/3KOFkOnTRL0XFzZgsqFzXz77KbhhzcoRACLcB/s1600/895ac7c778d4e9dfc33f22bdceb605ed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cw8zzMMVZJc/WKcORiZB2II/AAAAAAAABVI/3KOFkOnTRL0XFzZgsqFzXz77KbhhzcoRACLcB/s320/895ac7c778d4e9dfc33f22bdceb605ed.jpg" width="231" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Remember to use protection. Don't get infected by the WAAC virus, and for the love of Throne, don't let them breed!</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div>Yeah, fuck them hard. If anyone wants to play with you, solely to Win At All Costs, to beat you, because it'll make them feel better, while spewing some self-excuse bullshit, he or she is not worth playing with. Simple as that. Why should anyone put up with this shit? Why should anyone tolerate someone who brings a bucket of fliers to the table, while also saying that "be thankful, because I could've bring more"? Why should anyone tolerate someone, who deploys a most broken, barely legal army list, which is impossible to defeat, because they have a brand new, favored codex, while yours is 3 years old, and was never that good to begin with? If I'd be playing against someone like that, I would not bring a Knight to the table, together with a bunch of OP formations, cause I actually value my opponent's fun. I don't want to be that guy! However, currently, 40K is full of Those Guys. It's like a dam broke, and assholes begun to flood the hobby. Hell, I used to remember a time, when people gave you grief, for bringing stupid, broken shit to a game, outside of grand tournaments. Now it's impossible to have a friendly, casual game, without bumping into someone who thinks that WAAC is the only true way.</div><div><br /></div><div>What's worse, is that this mentality started to leak into 30K as well. Long believed a much more balanced game, with a better player base, than that of 40K, it has begun to show the first, true signs of WAAC with the premiere of "Inferno". Undoubtedly the Thousand Sons are one of the strongest legion right now, and people all over the internet have been discussing the "Magnus Deathstar", which basically combines the Big Red, Ahriman and a squad of Sekhmet. I've read a battle report between the Salamanders and the XVth Legio, during which Vulkand and his Firedrakes clashed with that specific unit. The Sally's managed to kill... one Terminator. In 3 rounds they were all dead. Yeah, that must've been fun, right?</div><div><br /></div><div>Now, it must be said that for every WAAC asshat, there are probably few normal peeps out there, and that's certainly true. However the percentage of players, who think that Winning At All Costs is a way to go, steadily raises. There are more of them coming, with each passing month, and releases like "The Gathering Storm" only speed up the process. Meanwhile many players who either don't play an army, that could go toe to toe with one of the favortised, heavily tailored factions, or simply want to experience fun, casual games, feel more and more disilussioned and resigned. Not to mention it's no fun to spar against someone who not only brings maximum cheese to the table, but also gloats, thinking himself entitled to act like a prick. I understand that. I'm one of those people. I don't play 40K often, but when I do, I want to have fun and I want my opponent to have fun. It's a normal approach to gaming, and it baffles my mind, why so many people don't understand that and actively try to be as assholish as possible. Well, for those people I have 3 things to say:</div><div><br /></div><div><b>1)</b> Making yourself feel better by winning in a game of little, plastic men is downright pathetic. At the same time, making sure that your opponent will have a bad time, watching helplessly as you steamroll your Gorgon Chain-wielding Chapter Master, through his army, with him not being able to do anything about it, is also disgusting and seriously uncool.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>2)</b> Your problems won't magically dissapear, after you sick your 3 Riptides against someone, who just wants a light, casual game. Maybe you'll feel better for a few hours, but after some time the sad reality of your life will kick back in. The only difference is, that then you'll also have a player, who may not be too keen on facing you again. Which brings us to...</div><div><br /></div><div><b>3)</b> Losing gaming buddies. You will quickly loose people, willing to play with you. Outside of tournaments and heavily competitive games (agreed on by all the participants, of course), there's little chance that many, casual players will want to stick around you. Especially if you also act like a dick during matches. Of course, you may think then that they are simply salty and can't take a failure like real men. In that case it's probably better, if you play with "real" players. Better for your casual opponents, that is.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VHg-0HCjdgw/WKcT17xI-OI/AAAAAAAABVg/xHQP33rV5oEjTAfBOfWd_7L6lWzuEQoRACLcB/s1600/tau-eldar-waac-gamers-40k.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="166" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VHg-0HCjdgw/WKcT17xI-OI/AAAAAAAABVg/xHQP33rV5oEjTAfBOfWd_7L6lWzuEQoRACLcB/s320/tau-eldar-waac-gamers-40k.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Not that a WAAC player cares for filthy casuals. Unless he's busy grinding them to dust, being pleased with himself and enlargening his (probably very small) genitals. Bravo!</i></td></tr></tbody></table>At this point I don't really have anything else to add. It saddens me to see 40K, getting more and more infested with WAAC mentality. It's just a game, and as such, it's supposed to be fun and make you and your friends, have a good time. I'd think that this is rather obvious, really. Being a powergamer, rationalising your WAAC tendencies in any way possible (usually a very poor way, I might add) and acting like a tit is, for me, both very sad and unnaceptable. I've decided some time ago, that I won't play against such people anymore. I want to relax during my games and to have fun, while also making sure that my opponent is also having a good time. Maybe the upcoming 8th edition will trim this WAAC craze, and make people remember that a tabletop experience is primarly about fun, not Winning At All Costs.</div><div><br /></div><div>To paraphrase Pee Wee Herman: WAAC Is wack. Make no mistake about that.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qGrG1Anej5I/WKcL4l19RDI/AAAAAAAABU0/KWk-4724Xno8S-jL8yFnUlfUYLkheQaIQCLcB/s1600/hqdefault.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qGrG1Anej5I/WKcL4l19RDI/AAAAAAAABU0/KWk-4724Xno8S-jL8yFnUlfUYLkheQaIQCLcB/s320/hqdefault.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Pictured: Pee Wee Herman holding a vial of pure, destilled WAAC. Even a single drop can turn you into a douchebag</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div>Sometimes it's good to make a lighter, perhaps more fluffy list, than a rape-train without any brakes. That way you'll not only be seen as a cool, friendly gamer, but it'll also assure that your opponent will think of you positively. Trust me, it is very important, and a worthy thing to achieve. Tommorow I'll be playing a game against my friend's Tyranids. I won't be bringing any superheavies, flyers or even heavy ordnance. We've decided that this match will be infantry heavy, and I plan to make sure, that this foul xeno scum will leave my house, feeling happy and with a sense of a time, that's been well spent. For me, any tabletop experience should be about that and not counting how many of his units I'll be able to slot every turn, with my super tailored, formation heavy, OP army. It's a game. Make sure that everyone enjoys it, not just you.</div><div><br /></div><div>Also if I've offended anyone with this article, then I'm not sorry at all. It simply means that you are a WAAC player and should be ashamed of your gaming habits. Save yourself some time (mine as well), and don't try to convince me that I'm a "bad gamer who can't win, and now his taking it out on the real players". I don't mind losing, as long as my opponent is a decent, friendly person, who treats others in the right way, and not a gigantic cunt with a WAAC complex. Thank you.</div><div><br /></div><div>Until next time, when we return to the Old World! Because it's a place, worthy of further exploration, don't you think?</div><div><br /></div><div>Xathrodox86</div>Xathrodox86http://www.blogger.com/profile/13542258686214382921noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6461406011459210483.post-33443492372989267732017-01-29T22:38:00.002+01:002017-02-16T14:14:38.890+01:00Xathrodox86 reviews: "Warrior Priest" by Darius Hinks<h2>I always liked Warrior Priests. Funny, since personally I'm not a very religious or spiritual man, but for some reason, in almost every fictional universe, the idea of holy men and women fighting evil in the name of their gods, appeals to me.</h2>That's why I have 4 Warrior Priests of Sigmar in my Warhammer Army, alongside a priest of Morr and a of Myrmidia. Like I've said, there's something undeniably cool about those type of heroes, so I did not hesitate in picking up the "Warrior Priest" novel, written by Darius Hinks, which also granted him the Morningstar 2011 award (David Gemmell Legend Awards). Fortunately, once again my choice has been a right one, as "Warrior Priest" was easily one of the best Warhammer Fantasy books that I've ever read.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ryZ3JfDfzYc/WI5fq4QDYyI/AAAAAAAABT8/E5h_lt4ga8EWWAd1wBM5oXuGBLDmdob5QCLcB/s1600/51moCEo2vtL._SX308_BO1%252C204%252C203%252C200_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ryZ3JfDfzYc/WI5fq4QDYyI/AAAAAAAABT8/E5h_lt4ga8EWWAd1wBM5oXuGBLDmdob5QCLcB/s320/51moCEo2vtL._SX308_BO1%252C204%252C203%252C200_.jpg" width="198" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>A great piece of fantasy fiction indeed</i></td></tr></tbody></table>The main protagonist of this story is Jakob Wolff, a holy man in the service to Sigmar, the founder of the Empire and its chief deity. He's on a dire mission to track his erstwhile brother, who decided to sell his soul to Ruinous Powers. Accompanying him is Ratboy, his faithful servant, who owns his life to the Warrior Priest. We are first introduced to the them, when the holy duo stops a mad wannabe Witch Hunter, Otto Sürman, from burning Anna, a young priestess of Shallya. Wolff has a personal score to settle down with Surman, who was responsible for the deaths of his parents, many years ago. As it turns out, they weren't guilty of the heresy that got them sent to the stake. It was Jakob's brother, Fabian, who was guilty of the ultimate sin of chaos worshipping. Shocked and appalled, Wolff vows to find his sibling and bring him to justice for his crimes. But the villian is both resourcefull and cunning, as is expected from the follower of the Great Changer, and soon Jakob and his allies realise, that Fabian possesses huge amount of power in the province of Ostland. Will they be able to stop his heresy from spreading further?<br /><br />"Warrior Priest" is written in a very interesting manner, which combines the elements of both an investigation-type story with a military fiction. Fitting, since it is a part of the Empire Army novel series, but while other books from this range are more focused on battles and combat, this mixes in personal struggle, family drama and questions about blind faith and the damage that it can do. There's no denying the blind zeal, that pushes Wolff forward, to confront his evil brother, but Hinks also shows just how much harm, can a blind faith actually cause. "Sigmarite dogma does not preach forgiveness" growls young Jacob to his brother, in a retrospective part of the book, and that single line shows just how little different, the servants of Order truly are from their sworn enemies. Darius Hinks perfectly encapsulated the dangers of fanaticism, whether it comes from serving the Dark Gods of Chaos, or the First Emperor. Without spoiling anything, I just want to say this - after reading this novel, I've begun to look on the Warrior Priests of the Empire in a slightly different way. Not always wading in with a huge hammer, while shouting prayers to Sigmar, can be a good thing, as Wolff finds out the hard way, during the course of his story.<br /><br />It should also be noted that Fabian, Jakob's younger brother, is probably one of the better written vilians in any Warhammer story. Around the middle of "Warrior Priest's" plot, we recieve a huge retrospection, taking us to the times of both brothers youth in the harsh and unforgiving province of Ostland. We see that Jakob, a highly pious and spiritual youg man, is clealry favortised by his equally religious father. Fabian, the other sibling, is seens as weak and useless, spending whole days reading books about legends and folk tales, while Jakob makes his way up the structures of sigmarite clergy. By a pure, blind chance, the Wolffs travel to Altdorf, to meet with high priests of the Temple of Sigmar, and drop Fabian off at the place of his eccentric uncle. Soon, the young man discoveres that the old man harbors many secrets, which he's willing to share with him. The road to damnation begins with Fabian accompanying his uncle on the streets of the Empire's capital, learning about secret societies, hidden libraries and things, that should remain hidden. The author presents this slow decline into heresy in a truly excellent manner. It is never explained if Fabian's uncle and his friends are cultists, or are they only fascinated by the unknown. The author leaves a few clues here and there, but it's up to the reader to make the final verdict. Hinks also shows just how often a man can become corrupted, just by pure chance or accident. Fabian wasn't a malevolent, daemon-worshipper from his earliest days. No, he became one by pure chance and the fact that his family was cold and distant towards him. Not often are servants of Chaos presented in such a way, and it is a testament to Darius Hinks talent, that he managed to write an antagonist, that's not only human, but also relatable. Good job Mr. Hinks.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sTnApUOBBgU/WI5gkVUuASI/AAAAAAAABUI/1ZFC4VdZrRs6LPgKgmHmD1ZPKCNeQNkywCLcB/s1600/23f3ab93f71716b4b755d6c330a44008.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sTnApUOBBgU/WI5gkVUuASI/AAAAAAAABUI/1ZFC4VdZrRs6LPgKgmHmD1ZPKCNeQNkywCLcB/s320/23f3ab93f71716b4b755d6c330a44008.jpg" width="176" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Usually the Old World bad guys are less... subtle about being evil a-holes</i></td></tr></tbody></table>The fight scenes, where they finally happen, are tough, brutal and visceral. Jakob Wolff, despite being a Warrior Priest, is still only a man, and an older one at that. It really shows how much he's fuelled on by his righteous fury, rather than his fading stamina and old muscles, to win the day. Not often do we see a simple human, in his latter days, who wins by the skin of his teeth, rather than by wielding a magical sword, while also sporting a set of impressive abs. Likewise Ratboy, who is a de facto narrator of this story, is also a very down-to-earth character. He's just a young kid, trying to survive day after day, in a province ravaged by war. While Wolff chases after his accursed brother, a huge Chaos army rampages through Ostland, burning everything in its path and killing all they encounter. The armies of the Emperor are hard pressed to contain the danger, which the Ruinous Powers bring to their borders, and the victory over the hated enemy seems less likely, with each passing day.<br /><br />Also worth noting is the character of Anna. As a priestess of the Goddess of Mercy, her observations and insights on Wolff's methods and motivations, present a really nice contrast to the Warrior Priest's harsh and unforgiving philosophy. The banter between those two provided some of the most interesting points of this book.<br /><br />The ending, when it comes, is both satisfying and highly melancholic, just like the ending to any Warhammer Fantasy book should be, in my opinion. However there's a sort of "after the credits" scene, and it is... weird. Without spoiling anything, I don't really think that this one was completely necessary and looked more like an eventual sequel hook. Given that the book was released back in 2010, and in the meantime the Old World was blown up by a bad case of shitty writing, any continuation of Jakob Wolff's adventure seems unlikely. Shame, because a lot of time has passed, since I've read a Warhammer novel that got me so interested in its plot and heroes. I know that Darius Hinks also wrote a couple of other stories for the Black Library, including a book about Sigvald the Magnificent, the Orion trilogy and some Space Marine action. After finishing "Warrior Priest", I can safely say that it is fully worth it to check his other works.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mHfQSbXR6vo/WI5gKFNAKHI/AAAAAAAABUA/IrGD0YhmAmo-M6pXp7-X-DQ3HK4Cs5OVQCLcB/s1600/565346.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mHfQSbXR6vo/WI5gKFNAKHI/AAAAAAAABUA/IrGD0YhmAmo-M6pXp7-X-DQ3HK4Cs5OVQCLcB/s1600/565346.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Great job Mr. Hinks!</i></td></tr></tbody></table><u>Pros:</u><br /><br />- A set of interesting, fleshed out heroes.<br />- The main villain is interesting, well written and relatable.<br />- Teaches about the dangers of blind faith and fanaticism.<br />- Combat is brutal and visceral.<br /><br /><u>Cons:</u><br /><br />- That one ending scene was completely unnecessary. You'll know which one I'm talking about, once you'll finish the book.<br />- While the combat scenes were really good, there were not that many of them. For some that can be dissapointing, especially since this is an Empire Army novel.<br /><br />Until next time!<br /><br />Xathrodox86Xathrodox86http://www.blogger.com/profile/13542258686214382921noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6461406011459210483.post-26806739600728011582017-01-19T14:51:00.001+01:002017-03-17T11:07:45.096+01:00A new year, a new plan. 2017 is going to be hot! Plus a reblog.<h2 style="height: 0px;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Wow, it's the middle of january 2017 and only now I'm actually posting something here. No excuses of course, but I just wanted to say that I'm very happy to kick off another year on my little slice of internet.</span></h2><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>I think that most of us can agree on one thing: 2016 sucked major ass. Not to get into many details, but for me, it was especially bad. Personal stuff was bad, my mindset was bad, job tensions and social contacts - it was all bad, bad, bad. That said, I don't think that giving up is the way to go, at least, not yet and hopefully not ever. That's why I've decided to make 2017 a year to remember for all time, for all the good reasons, of course.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FDym0sTK7ZY/WIDDjGORYMI/AAAAAAAABTk/0ywfflrLhiY9dkqpuqhaGbvlQscHeucPQCLcB/s1600/J2OWH.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="163" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FDym0sTK7ZY/WIDDjGORYMI/AAAAAAAABTk/0ywfflrLhiY9dkqpuqhaGbvlQscHeucPQCLcB/s320/J2OWH.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i style="font-size: 12.8px;">It's gonna be epic!</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div>So for starters I just want to present you with a post from one of my players, Sean, who decided to upload his notes from our last session. You see, when I run any RPG, I urge people to take notes about different stuff: locations, people they've met, strange occurences, etc. That way, no important information will be lost by the party. However Sean really upped the quality of note-taking. His writing was crisp, interesting, dramatic and simply wonderful. Far from being a dry recollection of events, it read like a good drama. So here is a link &nbsp;to his blog, <a href="http://seanswgcorner.blogspot.com/2017/01/warhammer-fantasy-roleplay-2nd-edition.html" target="_blank">Sean's Wargames Corner</a>, where you can read the whole thing. I hope you'll like it, just like I did, and many other people on the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/1497734030471482/?fref=ts" target="_blank">Oldhammer in The New World</a> Facebook group. In all honesty, for me as a long time GM, this is very humbling, to see my players wanting to share their experiences with the whole world. It is a really, really great thing to see.</div><div><br /></div><div>However that's not all. Another of my players, Jason, made a few, awesome sketches, portraying the player characters. He now muses about drawing scenes from the party's adventures, and I honestly can't wait to see them done. His style reminds me of the old, 1st edition WFRP drawings, which I like tremendously. I'll take the liberty of posting them here, with author's permission of &nbsp;course.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BSZWxdBB4sI/WIDBCu6gXBI/AAAAAAAABTE/Z1-RlEjfYAQDUudYWGgI3S43DOEyT2-2wCLcB/s1600/15626260_10209547112008973_310130385584147013_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BSZWxdBB4sI/WIDBCu6gXBI/AAAAAAAABTE/Z1-RlEjfYAQDUudYWGgI3S43DOEyT2-2wCLcB/s320/15626260_10209547112008973_310130385584147013_o.jpg" width="254" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Genaro Vesuvio and Salvatore "Sally Balls" Sabatino. An unlikely pair of Tilean ne'er-do-wells&nbsp;</i><i style="font-size: 12.8px;">(picture by J.Brisken)</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div>I've decided to make 2017 a year, when I'll finally run all the stuff, that I always wanted. Among all the campaigns and adventures is, of course, the venerable "The Enemy Within", a legendary module for WFRP 1st edition (that I'll be running, using the rules for the 2nd one). At the beginning of the month I've begun looking for a team to run it for and... ended up with two! Yup, 2017 is the year when I'm going to run "The Enemy Within" twice. Can I handle it and manage my timetable with my Roll20 group and my old team, now playing the cWoD's Vampire: The Masquerade? Sure I can, it's all a case of planning your time and being determined to achieve success.</div><div><br /></div><div>Oh, for one of the groups, I will also run the "Lichemaster" campaign, another gem from the times of 1st edition of Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay. In fact we've already had our first session yesterday evening, and it was good to know that after almost 3 year hiatus from running WFRP "in real life", I still have what it takes to make my players happy.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-EKnLsToCVKs/WIDBi7cYXYI/AAAAAAAABTM/y_KAzXmwaZ8X0f272yvmTuYRoj9hR3IHwCLcB/s1600/16143419_10209782288088228_4263532903422222845_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="316" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-EKnLsToCVKs/WIDBi7cYXYI/AAAAAAAABTM/y_KAzXmwaZ8X0f272yvmTuYRoj9hR3IHwCLcB/s320/16143419_10209782288088228_4263532903422222845_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Lukas Kohler, Talabeclander and Charcoal-Burner. One of the most resilent bastards, this side of the Reik&nbsp;</i><i style="font-size: 12.8px;">(picture by J.Brisken)</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div>I should also add that my Roll20 group will no longer enjoy any more, one-shot adventures. It's finally time, after playing for more than 1,5 year together, to test them against a real challenge. That's right - it's time for yet another campaign! Which one? I cannot say that just yet, for it is a mystery and a surprise, and my players frequent this blog from time to time. I don't want to ruin the suspense for them.</div><div><br /></div><div>So that's it for my RPG plans for this year, running 4 campaigns. Some might call it overly ambitious, I just think and hope that they will turn out to be heaps of fun. I also hope to play a bit more tabletop games, including new ones like Malifaux and Frostgrave. If everything goes right, I will attend the Eurobash event, organised by the wonderful Warhammer-Empire community in may.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-K9-IKfz5ZTU/WIDB3Mh9GZI/AAAAAAAABTQ/Rev1TfMyPdoKv_4PgqbNI5gSb95eQqnqgCLcB/s1600/15590718_10209547112328981_8238329426031096654_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-K9-IKfz5ZTU/WIDB3Mh9GZI/AAAAAAAABTQ/Rev1TfMyPdoKv_4PgqbNI5gSb95eQqnqgCLcB/s320/15590718_10209547112328981_8238329426031096654_o.jpg" width="208" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Vincent Deriosh. On a first glane, a simple servant. During combat, however, he turns into a whirlwind of death and fury. Man of duty and a servant of Morr, the god of dreams and death&nbsp;</i><i style="font-size: 12.8px;">(picture by J.Brisken)</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div>Aside from that, I plan to make this blog more Warhammer Fantasy-centric, so to speak. I honestly think that now, after all the fuss with End Times and the Age of Sigmar, good, old WFB/WFRP deserve to get some love and be kept afloat, if you excuse the metaphor. Sure, they're not perfect, and yes, I will post more about what irks me with both of these games in the future, but the thing is... they just work for me. Despite all their flaws and problems, they are THE titles that I love and cherish the most, when it comes to both role-playing and tabletop games, and I certainly plan to help in keeping their flames alive.</div><div><br /></div><div>That, and the fact that 40K is apparently going down the shitter. But that's a rant for another time, after I'll finish "The Fall of Cadia". Already halfway through it and... well, let's just say that I have a bad case of deja vu. Like I've seen a similar thing, done by this company, a while back. It didn't end well.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3fy8dAqbZ-Q/WIDCTjEG4yI/AAAAAAAABTY/4HJOZHh86nIStkJwmFkHQc3yfyibKsfzQCLcB/s1600/15777069_10209649058757578_6580488345632582639_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3fy8dAqbZ-Q/WIDCTjEG4yI/AAAAAAAABTY/4HJOZHh86nIStkJwmFkHQc3yfyibKsfzQCLcB/s320/15777069_10209649058757578_6580488345632582639_o.jpg" width="244" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Leopold Boselmann. Once a dirty grave robber, he recently found a new purpose in life. However, old habits die hard... </i><i style="font-size: 12.8px;">(picture by J.Brisken)</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div>Next post will contain a review of the novel "Warrior Priest" by the Gemmel Award-recepient, Darius Hinks. I've read it last year and I think it's... oh, you know how it works. Just tune in next week, to read about my opinion on this title. Also it will be the first ever review of a Warhammer Fantasy book on this blog. About damn time, eh?</div><div><br /></div><div>Until next time!</div><div><br /></div><div>Xathrodox86</div>Xathrodox86http://www.blogger.com/profile/13542258686214382921noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6461406011459210483.post-45266529068587915752016-12-30T12:00:00.000+01:002016-12-30T12:00:05.147+01:00Xathrodox86 reviews: "Warhammer: End Times - Vermintide Karak Azgaraz"<h2>As the current year is slowly coming to an end, I am writing the last article for 2016. Fortunately it's about a very good DLC for a very good game.</h2><div>Last time I reviewed&nbsp;"Warhammer: End Times - Vermintide Drachenfels", the first DLC for "Vermintide", a fun game about killing Skaven en masse with your friends (or bots). Now it's time for the second paid addon - "Karak Azgaraz".</div><div><br /></div><div><b><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><u>"Warhammer: End Times - Vermintide Karak Azgaraz" (released December 15th 2016)</u></span></b></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RumNX664zUc/WGU0u37jLNI/AAAAAAAABSE/eUVgu6a8GQwfQaL8DMIyD2faXFTU7j7kgCLcB/s1600/Karak-Azgaraz-Logo.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="224" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RumNX664zUc/WGU0u37jLNI/AAAAAAAABSE/eUVgu6a8GQwfQaL8DMIyD2faXFTU7j7kgCLcB/s320/Karak-Azgaraz-Logo.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>That's one, gorgeous looking logo!</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div>Taking place in the titular dwarven hold, and in the areas around it, this one offers a tad different experience, than the other missions, both in the core game and "Drachenfels". The main reason is becuase it's actually snowing! Yes, finally we have our first snow missions in "Vermintide" and I must say that they look magnificent. The devs really made an incredible work on the whole "frozen landscape" part and it truly is a sight to behold.</div><div><br /></div><div>Now interestingly Karak Azgaraz is present in the Warhammer Fantasy lore for some time now. I honestly thought that this hold was created exclusively for the DLC, but apparently there is a substantial ammount of this Karak's lore in the "Book of Grudges" sourcebook for the 3rd edition of WFRP. I know one thing: after playing through this DLC, I will certainly read all I can about "Hold of the Fearless Axes".</div><div><br /></div><div>Situated to the southeast of Übersreik, Karak Azgaraz has been attacked by the vile Skaven. Our heroes must travel to the besieged hold and help the Dwarfs in any way they can, but also to retrieve a Cursed Rune for the city's Grey Wizard. To do all of this, they need to accomplish three tasks: light the Chain Of Fire, explore the tunnels of Khazid Kro and finally retrieve the Cursed Rune itself. All the while the Skaven are on them, without a pause nor mercy. This will be one of the toughest tests that our heroes have faced, so far.</div><div><br /></div><div>First we have the "Chain Of Fire" mission which takes place completely outdoors. As our heroes brave the snowy wilderness of the Grey Mountains, they must light 3 dwarven signal beacons, to warn Karak Azgaraz about the impending Skaven attack. This map is incredible and easily my favorite of all 3. The frozen night, Rat-men attacking from the tunnels, digged under the snow (their fur is frozen!) and the endless, chilling white of snowy mountains - they all create an incredible atmosphere. The mission ends in a climactic battle at the top of a high peak. With one hero forced to stand on a switch, that lights the final beacon, and endless hordes of rats pouring from every direction, this is one of the most awesome and heart pounding endings of any quest in "Vermintide". Absolutely fantastic and truly memorable.</div><div><br /></div><div>Next we have the "Khazid Kro" mission, which finally takes us inside the hold of Karak Azgaraz. Again I must complement the devs - they've made a great job of portraying both the exterior and interior of a dwarven fortress. Karak Azgaraz is, simply put, magnificent and majestic. It is a true testament to Dawi and their craftsmanship, both grandoise and functional. As the heroes wander through the corridors of the lost Karak they see wonders like powerful steam-driven trains and even steam-powered breweries! They are also witnessing a real tragedy, as they encounter scores of slain Dwarves and the bodies of countless Skaven, all fallen in a bitter, merciless battle, where no quarter was given, nor asked. "Khazid Kro" is a visually stunning mission, with very interesting parts, like repairing the brewing equipement, while the room is getting filled with huge ammounts of steam... and Skaven. However I did find this map a bit... standard. It's not bad, don't get me wrong, but it's not really memorable in any way. The Karak itself is stunning to look at, but the interiors are just ok. I think that Fatshark lost an opportunity to show us really interesting stuff, that can be found inside a dwarven hold, like the Undgrin Angkor, the legendary and impossibly large tunnels, that run between every Dawi Karak, connecting each and every one of them. "Khazid Kro" is good, but only good, which is a bit of a shame in a 9 euro DLC. Oh well...</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oDkzQe85gdI/WGU2eKSPSEI/AAAAAAAABSQ/-UvVc7rQSCEQSB8GnQ9lq7Bq5t9i7HGMwCLcB/s1600/warhammer-end-times-vermintide-karak-azgaraz-fortress-from-outside.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oDkzQe85gdI/WGU2eKSPSEI/AAAAAAAABSQ/-UvVc7rQSCEQSB8GnQ9lq7Bq5t9i7HGMwCLcB/s320/warhammer-end-times-vermintide-karak-azgaraz-fortress-from-outside.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Fortunately the outside view is really worth the money</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div>Finally there's the "Cursed Rune" mission and this one is your pretty standard, "survive for x ammount of time, while being drown in fur" type of quest, which ends every, single "Vermintide" mission. The heroes need to fight their way to the vault, holding the Cursed Rune, retrieve it, while being attacked by endless hordes of Skaven, and escape with it to Olesya's wagon. Interestingly enough, while it does take place on the premises of Karak Azgaraz, the heroes will mainly travel on the outside of the great hold's wall, instead of its interiors. Courtyards, walls and corridors that are open to the cloudless sky will be explored fully in this quest, and it's a very nice idea, in my opinion. We already had the taste of the wild in the "Chain Of Fire" and discovered the myriad secrets of Karak Azgaraz's inner areas. Now it's time to run between high pillars, with icy wind slashing at your face, while witnessing the horror of a massed Skaven attack. Here too, are many, many dead Dwarves and their eternal enemies, lying all over the premises of the hold. The visual style and grandoise of the "Cursed Rune" are certainly impressive and I've found this quest to be a fitting end to the entire "Karak Azgaraz" DLC. Good job Fatshark.</div><div><br /></div><div>Apart from the 3 missions, there are also two new weapons, added in this DLC. Now players can slaughter the servants of the Horned Rat with a Warpick and Falchion. Both very iconic to Warhammer Fantasy, the Warpick can be used by the Dwarf and is a heavy, double handed weapon, that's very satisfying to utilize against the Skaven. You can even make horrible puns, while sticking them with it, like "now, now, don't be PICKY". The Witch Hunter can now equip a Falchion, which works just like Soldier's sword, perhaps slashing a bit faster. While they're not as useful as the Glaive from "Drachenfels", they are both very stylish and I'm glad that Fatshark added them to the game. For me a Witch Hunter armed with Falchion is much more badass, then a one with a Rapier. It should be mentioned tough, that both of these weapons can only be "dropped" on "Karak Azgaraz" levels, which personally I find rather strange. Ok, I get that the pick could probably be found easier inside a dwarven hold, but the Falchion? Strange move on the devs part, altough one that will certainly make the replayability of this DLC much higher, than that of "Drachenfels", that's for sure.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-H8mblDbUPqY/WGU1mhEm1XI/AAAAAAAABSM/fJzOTznn750qTClSvuR4umGeM55BPdA5QCLcB/s1600/Warhammer-The-End-Times-Vermintide-PS4Y-ver6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="112" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-H8mblDbUPqY/WGU1mhEm1XI/AAAAAAAABSM/fJzOTznn750qTClSvuR4umGeM55BPdA5QCLcB/s320/Warhammer-The-End-Times-Vermintide-PS4Y-ver6.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>The new weapons really look fabulous...</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div>"Karak Azgaraz" also came with a huge patch, and it's a good thing that the devs decided to finally adress some of the game's many problems, among them a host of performance issues, bugs and crashes. The majority of the weapons and skills got rebalanced, the Skaven and player bots are much smarter now, the game interface has been fixed a bit and the loot, that players recieve after levelling up also got improved. Now there's a chance to actually get better quality items, each time the player reaches another level and that's really, really good. You have no idea how pissed off I was, after I've got another common, white item, while reaching the 31st level with my Soldier.</div><div><br /></div><div>Oh and Franz Lohner no longer whistles under his nose. These are the End Times, after all...</div><div><br /></div><div>So there you have it, my review of "Karak Azgaraz". I really think that it is a very good DLC for a very good game, and unlike "Drachenfels", the missions here are almost univerally great, perhaps with the exception of "Khazid Kro", which is still decent. New weapons are cool looking, and certainly useful in a fight, and the overall balancing and fixing of "Vermintide's" many flaws and bugs was a really welcome thing to see. I hope that Fatshark will continue to make more DLC's with more great content for this game, because it certainly deserves to be further developed and expanded. Perhaps next time we could get a new enemy, like a Plague Monk, working exactly the same as the Witch from "Left 4 Dead", and maybe a new character as well? I'd love to see a Warrior Priest, making an appearance in "Vermintide", or a Master Engineer. There are still many, many possibilities in which this title can be expanded and improved, I'm sure of it.</div><div><br /></div><div>This is the last post in 2016. I will return next year, with even more content, both for Warhammer games and other, equally geeky stuff, such as reviews, interviews and my thoughts and opinions on various things. That said, I plan to concentrate more on writing about Warhammer Fantasy in the future, since my previous bad mood, concerning the Old World, seemed to pass away, fortunately. After all, this is a blog with the word "Nuln" in it, for Sigmar's sake! That, and I really don't like the way that GW is going with 40K, altough there will be an article or two, about that particular topic, you can be sure about that.</div><div><br /></div><div>Lastly I wanted to thank all of you, who read my blog, who visit it and decide to stick around for more. Make no mistakes, I am doing all of this for you guys and gals. I love sharing my passion and geeky knowledge with other people, and to see that so many readers brave the rains of Nuln, brings joy to my heart and soul. Thank you. All of you. Your are the reason that I'm writing these articles and rant about various things, which I hope, also bring you a healthy dose of laughter and joy.</div><div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DdFp88OkRnc/WGU50lfHVLI/AAAAAAAABSg/8bomkn3vuk485hf4H2nNXmPK19BvKHEdgCLcB/s1600/1447549556575_zpsiygt5vls.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DdFp88OkRnc/WGU50lfHVLI/AAAAAAAABSg/8bomkn3vuk485hf4H2nNXmPK19BvKHEdgCLcB/s320/1447549556575_zpsiygt5vls.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>"The rain of Nuln is made of win" as Baron Von Klatz, a good friend of mine, used to say (he also made this incredible piece, as well as my profile picture!)</i></td></tr></tbody></table>Happy new year and... until next time!</div><div><br /></div><div>Xathrodox86</div>Xathrodox86http://www.blogger.com/profile/13542258686214382921noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6461406011459210483.post-71336064477484884202016-12-23T16:52:00.001+01:002016-12-23T16:52:58.444+01:00Xathrodox86 reviews: "Warhammer: End Times - Vermintide Drachenfels"<h2>Holiday time is almost upon us, so why not give someone you like a cool present? "Warhammer: End Times - Vermintide" is currently on a discount on Steam, along with all of its DLC's. But are they really worth the price?</h2>I must admit - I love "Vermintide" to death. This is THE Warhammer game, that I've been waiting for ages to get my hands on. The atmosphere is perfect, the gameplay rocks and I love the characters. Oh and the music - it's simply great. Sure there are a couple of things that can irk your average player (I'm looking at you, loot drop system), but in the end they aren't that significant, when it comes to the overall quality of this title. In my opinion "Warhammer: End Times - Vermintide" is the only, good thing that came out of all that End Times nonsense. Given the overall quality of the send-off that Warhammer Fantasy did recieved, that's really saying something.<br /><br />However there's the question of "Vermnintide's" DLC content. Is it on the same level as the base game? Is it better or worse? Let's take a look, shall we?<br /><br /><span style="color: #b45f06;"><u><b>"Warhammer: End Times - Vermintide Drachenfels" (released May 26th 2016)</b></u></span><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nNZhTfFHdis/WF1HWOMyW9I/AAAAAAAABRg/mdNU88OmmTUpyHeVoVjrA2B7-iL2HPlcwCLcB/s1600/header.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nNZhTfFHdis/WF1HWOMyW9I/AAAAAAAABRg/mdNU88OmmTUpyHeVoVjrA2B7-iL2HPlcwCLcB/s320/header.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Lookin' spooky!</i></td></tr></tbody></table>The first full DLC released for the game takes place in the legendary Drachenfels castle, the home of the Great Enchanter himself. Drachenfels supposedly walked the Old World, even before the time of Sigmar. He's probably best known to fans of Warhammer Fantasy from the series of books about Genevieve the vampire, written by Jack Yeovil. There was also an incredibly hard adventure for the 1st edition of WFRP, which took place in the Drachenfels' castle. Infamously known for its obscene level of difficulty, it none the less remains a classic position in the Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay repertoire. Now the vile Skaven took interest in his crib and made themselves comfortable inside. Are you a bad enough dude or dudette, to wreck their shit?<br /><br />With a big name like Drachenfels, you might think that the DLC will be something truly stunning and memorable. Well... on the most part it's good, altough there are, shall we say, downsides to it. The DLC consists of 3 maps. The first one takes place in the castle itself and it is easily the best one of all. You can feel the evil of Drachenfels in the air, in the rocks themselves, everywhere. The atmosphere of the map is simply astounding and I loved every, single minute of playing it. Your party's task is to retrieve a magical chalice and get out of the castle in one piece. Of course the vile Ratmen won't let you accomplish your task without a fight, and the place itself seem to be fighting you as well. There are traps here and there, sometimes you can hear the Great Enchanter's roar from beyond the grave (or is it?) and the escape is tense and full of obstacles, as if the castle wants to make sure that you'll not escape its haunted halls and corridors. Splendid stuff.<br /><br />Oh and there are pools of blood, which are endlessly refilled. Like, I know the old Drachy was supposed to be evil, but come one!<br /><br />The second map also takes place inside the castle. Your team is, again, tasked with retrieving a couple of trinkets and make a run for it. This time however there's a catch - you'll have to traverse the castle's enchanted catacombs, which are drown in magical darkness. The only way to navigate it, is for one of the heroes to grab a mystical torch and light the way through the labyrinthine tunnels, while the other protect him from the Skaven and try not to get lost.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BOi6sQypFps/WF1H6YuFdoI/AAAAAAAABRo/tzoJHCGFliANvCXqKjm22JMhil0-3WFGQCLcB/s1600/drachenfels_dungeon2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BOi6sQypFps/WF1H6YuFdoI/AAAAAAAABRo/tzoJHCGFliANvCXqKjm22JMhil0-3WFGQCLcB/s320/drachenfels_dungeon2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Are you having fun yet?</i></td></tr></tbody></table>This map I liked the least of all, honestly. I think the magical torch is a cheap gimmick to take out one of the players from any fight and artificially make the game harder. Sure, you can drop the torch and defend yourself at any given time, but this is really incovenient and tiresome. I mean, I get what the creators wanted to do, but couldn't they just allowed for the flame bearer to use his OTHER arm to wield a weapon, assuming he didn't packed a two-handed piece? Why don't the Bright Wizard's flames, which are, you know, magical, light the darkness? Yeah, in the end, this one was a miss for me. Sure, it was tense and hard, but the difficulty felt artifical and that's bad. I probably won't be replaying that map too often.<br /><br />Finally there's the final mission atop the Summoner's Peak, overlooking the Castle Drachenfels. This is a straightforward one: go up there and blow stuff, the stuff in question being a trio of portals, which the Skaven use to deploy reinforcements. That's it. In the end, this one was ok, but nothing spectacular. I mean, there's nothing here, which connects it in any way to Drachenfels. At least the other two missions took place in the castle itself and there were dialogue lines, which referenced famous events, which took place in the dreaded bastion of evil. Here we only see the place from a distance, and that's it. Don't get me wrong, it's an ok mission, but it dosen't have the vibe of the other two, even the poorly made second mission.<br /><br />Sadly "Warhammer: End Times - Vermintide Drachenfels" dosen't include any new enemies. There are new weapons tough, a Glaive for the Waywatcher and a Volley Crossbow for the Witch Hunter. They're both interesting, altough the Glaive was considered broken for a long time, right until the latest patch. Now it's less killy, altough still one of the best weapon options for Kerillian. The other new features are the torch, which sucks, and traps, which are ok, altough right now they're not that dangerous. Also the Skaven seem not to trigger them, which is weird. I hope the guys at Fatshark will fix that issue in the near future.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wKo05vsqEn4/WF1Hq0amvAI/AAAAAAAABRk/eVlSgEsaMm0dsnsMCRMlu1iO82DsZh6aQCLcB/s1600/0145478.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wKo05vsqEn4/WF1Hq0amvAI/AAAAAAAABRk/eVlSgEsaMm0dsnsMCRMlu1iO82DsZh6aQCLcB/s320/0145478.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Kudos to the developers for making the game's weapons look so awesome!</i></td></tr></tbody></table>So here are my opinions on "Warhammer: End Times - Vermintide Drachenfels". Is it worth your money? Honestly, I'm not so sure. While the first quest is excellent, the other two are not so hot. The second mission is gimmicky for a gimmick's sake and the third dosen't really feel, like it should belong in a DLC about the Great Enchanter. The new weapons are nice, especially the Glaive, but the other, advertised features are nothing truly unique, especially the bloody torches. Oh, and they're not used anywhere, besides this DLC, which makes advertising them rather strange.<br /><br />If you have some cash to spare and really, really like Drachenfels, for some odd reason (guy was a real asshole, you know), then by all means grab this DLC. Waiting for a Steam sale might also help, however I would not recommend it to anyone, with only a slight interest in the "Vermintide". It's simply not worth it, and you'll probably end up regretting the purchase, after completing the 3,very uneven missions.<br /><br />Next time I'll review the latest "Warhammer: End Times - Vermintide" DLC, which takes place in a frozen Karak, swarming with Rats! Stay tuned for more content, which will be released at the end of this year. In the meantime, I wanted to wish you all happy Holidays. Take care people and have a good one.<br /><br />Until next time! Ho ho ho!<br /><br />Xathrodox86Xathrodox86http://www.blogger.com/profile/13542258686214382921noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6461406011459210483.post-29336667815334858402016-12-11T18:14:00.001+01:002016-12-12T15:57:55.719+01:00An early holiday present: surprise interview with William King!<h2>Holidays are coming, but on my little slice of internet they're already here. I present to you an interview with one of the biggest legends of fantasy writing - William King.</h2>Now before you'll read the interview itself, I just wanted to say that for me, getting interested in Warhammer would be impossible without the classic "Gotrek and Felix" series, about the infamous Old World duo. Before that I only really knew a bit of elven lore and... that was prestty much it. After reading the first two omnibuses however, I've understood that there is so much more to Warhammer Fantasy, than just army book. Novels, short stories, the classic RPG's - it all became known to me, beacuse many years ago I've decided to pick up two big books in a bookstore in London, and give them a go. It was a choice that I've never regretted. So I wanted to say: thank you Mr. King. Thank you for bringing so many people into this hobby with your talent and writing skill. We owe you a lot.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Q9qPlu3VAfU/WE2Gsriwk0I/AAAAAAAABQ8/pwPQOyIPKxEkeQJeXi0dJtcJerrkhDMaACLcB/s1600/250px-Gotrek%2526Felix-Artwork_Omnibus3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Q9qPlu3VAfU/WE2Gsriwk0I/AAAAAAAABQ8/pwPQOyIPKxEkeQJeXi0dJtcJerrkhDMaACLcB/s1600/250px-Gotrek%2526Felix-Artwork_Omnibus3.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Mainly those two, legendary chaps!</i></td></tr></tbody></table>Now... just read the interview, and I hope you'll like it.<br /><br /><div><div class="gmail_signature"><b><span style="color: #cc0000;"><u>Xathrodox86:</u></span></b> What was your inspiration for creating the characters of Gotrek and Felix?<br /><br /><span style="color: lime;"><u><b>William King:</b></u></span> They came from running a Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay Campaign back when the game first came out in 1986/7. The most popular player character type with my players were slayers. When I got involved in the original Warhammer fiction project,&nbsp; a dwarven slayer seemed like a good choice.<br /><br />My first thought was to make Felix an elf to get the maximum chalk and cheese comedy from the pairing, but somehow a human just seemed to work better. After many years of reflection, I can see why. A human character provides a baseline point of view character for the reader who is probably easier to empathise with, and it certainly made it easier to explain the background of the Empire and point out Gotrek’s quirks. This would have been a lot more difficult with two non-human leads.<br /><br /><span style="color: red;"><u><b>Xathrodox86:</b></u></span> Did you had to convince your editors to let you write that iconic duo the way you wanted?<br /><br /><span style="color: lime;"><u><b>William King:</b></u></span> None at all. Everybody really liked them from the get-go.</div><div class="gmail_signature"><br /><span style="color: red;"><u><b>Xathrodox86:</b></u></span> What is your favorite Slayer novel/story? Which one was the most fun to write?<br /><br /><span style="color: lime;"><u><b>William King:</b></u></span> My favourite is Daemonslayer. I brooded on it for many years before I wrote it. It’s between it and Skavenslayer which was the most fun to write.<br /><br /><span style="color: red;"><u><b>Xathrodox86:</b></u></span> Did you had an ending in mind, when you began writing their tales? If so, what was it?</div><div class="gmail_signature"><span style="color: lime;"><u><b>William King:</b></u></span> I had no real ending in mind when I started, and I came up and discarded many alternative endings while I was writing. <br /><br /><span style="color: red;"><u><b>Xathrodox86:</b></u></span> Would Felix ever settle down and start a family? Would it be possible for him to lead a normal life, away from adventures?<br /><br /><span style="color: lime;"><u><b>William King:</b></u></span> Yes. I think he would. The main reason Felix went adventuring was because he was forced into it by his oath to Gotrek. If under any circumstances he was released from the oath, he would probably head back to the Empire, settle down and write up his adventures. I see him as being a bit like Bilbo or Sam in Lord of the Rings in this respect. I think he would probably be nostalgic about his adventures and miss them but as he got older comfort would be more and more important to him. I speak from experience here. <br /><br /><span style="color: red;"><u><b>Xathrodox86:</b></u></span> You've also written the "Space Wolf" saga. Where did you seek inspiration for the character of Ragnar?<br /><br /><span style="color: lime;"><u><b>William King:</b></u></span> I worked on the original Space Wolf army book with Andy Chambers. Ragnar was one of the characters. He seemed like a logical one to tackle when GW asked me to write a 40K novel. <br /><br />The main thing about Ragnar was he was not really a typical Space Marine or even Space Wolf. He was always a bit of an outsider, mainly because it is usually easier to explain an exotic society or organization such as the Space Wolves from the point of view of someone who is slightly out of sync with it. This may seem to contradict some of what I said about Felix and the origins of Felix and Gotrek above, but Felix is an outsider in his own way too.<br /><br /><span style="color: red;"><u><b>Xathrodox86:</b></u></span> Which character from Ragnar's saga, apart from himself, was the most fun for you to write? Which one was the most interesting?<br /><br /><span style="color: lime;"><u><b>William King:</b></u></span> There was a demon in the second book, Botchulaz, I think his name was, what always amused me. Aside from that, Sven and most of the flawed Space Wolves in the fourth book. Usually it’s the ones who make me laugh who are my favourites. That’s why we saw so much of Grey Seer Thanquol in the fantasy stuff. <br /><br /><span style="color: red;"><u><b>Xathrodox86:</b></u></span> What was the main difference in writing a posthuman, like Ragnar and ordinary men and women, like those in your "Macharius" trilogy?<br /><br /><span style="color: lime;"><u><b>William King:</b></u></span> With the Space Wolves, the main difference is their senses, which are so much keener than a human’s. That affects the texture and style of the writing most. There’s also the fact that they are basically super-heroes. They exist in a different and more epic sort of world from normal people.<br /><br /><span style="color: red;"><u><b>Xathrodox86:</b></u></span> Lord Solar Macharius was one of the greatest commanders in the Imperium's history. What was your main goal, when you were writing his tales? To showcase his greatness, or the inevitable end of his dreams, just like it was in the case of his predecessor, Alexander the Great?<br /><br /><span style="color: lime;"><u><b>William King:</b></u></span> I used Alexander as a model because he actually was the original model of Macharius. What I was trying to do in the series was show just how awesomely horrific the 41st millennium is, if you are an ordinary human soldier. It’s a sort of cross between Lovecraft and WW1. Not sure I managed it!<br /><br /><span style="color: red;"><u><b>Xathrodox86:</b></u></span> Was it especially difficult for you to write the characters of Tyrion and Teclis, them being elves and all? Where did you seek the inspiration for their stories?<br /><br /><span style="color: lime;"><u><b>William King:</b></u></span> The thing with non-humans is they usually take a bit more thought to portray than a human. With Felix, mostly I just asked myself what I would do in any given situation (if I was a lot braver and better looking than I actually am.) With Tyrion and Teclis, I had to think what does it mean to be a semi-immortal demigod. I was fortunate in that I worked on the original High Elves book with Jes Goodwin and a number of other very talented and thoughtful people. We spent a lot of time trying to imagine a feudal, magic driven society peopled by extremely long-lived people, so I had some answers. If I had to point to two sources of inspiration for Tyrion and Teclis, it would be Michael Moorcock’s fantasy stuff and Poul Anderson’s The Broken Sword. Weirdly, when I was writing Tyrion, I used to ask myself what James Bond would do. <br /><br /><span style="color: red;"><u><b>Xathrodox86:</b></u></span> You've also included the character of Teclis in "Giantslayer", your last Gotrek and Felix novel. Do you think that in the end, Gotrek respected the elven mage for all his work in defeating the minions of Chaos? Would it be possible for them to work together, in the future?<br /><br /><span style="color: lime;"><u><b>William King:</b></u></span> They could work together against a common enemy, sure, but at the end of the day Gotrek is a dwarf and Teclis is an elf. In the Warhammer world that carries a lot of baggage. Respect? I am not sure Gotrek really respects anything except perhaps his commitment to his oath. He’s always struck me as a bit of a nihilist.<br /><br /><span style="color: red;"><u><b>Xathrodox86:</b></u></span> Did you ever worked on any kind of RPG? Did you play them?<br /><br /><span style="color: lime;"><u><b>William King:</b></u></span> I’ve played RPGs since 1977. I’ve no idea of how many different RPGs I have played but it’s a lot. The last game I played was Robert Schwalb’s brilliant Shadow of the Demon Lord, a couple of months back. Mostly I play World of Warcraft these days. <br /><br />I worked on The Mutant Chronicles RPG and Waste World. Recently I wrote some fiction for Shadow of the Demon Lord. I also backed the Kickstarter. I really like the world.<br /><br /><span style="color: red;"><u><b>Xathrodox86:</b></u></span> Are you going to write more fiction for Black Library? If so, what will it be?<br /><br /><span style="color: lime;"><u><b>William King:</b></u></span> No plans. I sort of feel like GW has gone in one direction and I have gone in another. It used to be very easy for me to write Warhammer fiction because I had a lot of the background at my fingertips. That is no longer the case.<br /><br /></div><div class="gmail_signature"></div><div class="gmail_signature"><span style="color: red;"><u><b>Xathrodox86:</b></u></span> If given the chance, would you return to any of your earlier works? In which direction would you take them?<br /><br /><span style="color: lime;"><u><b>William King:</b></u></span> I’ve never really thought about. Most series take on a momentum all of their own and suggest their own directions. I had no idea Gotrek and Felix would end up where they did when I first started. Ditto Ragnar. I did with Macharius, of course, but that was baked in. <br /><br /><span style="color: red;"><u><b>Xathrodox86:</b></u></span> Of all your works, which one is the one that you enjoy the most to this day?<br /><br /><span style="color: lime;"><b><u>William King:</u></b></span> Usually the one I am writing now. It’s that way with most writers, I think. <br /><br /><span style="color: red;"><u><b>Xathrodox86:</b></u></span> Apart from various Warhammer novels and stories, what are your other works?<br /><br /><span style="color: lime;"><u><b>William King:</b></u></span> I have written a grimdark, gunpowder and magic series called The Terrarch Chronicles set in a world ruled by what might best be described as Nazi elves. The closest approximation I can think of is Glen Cook’s Black Company books. <br /><br />I’ve written a grimdark sword and sorcery series about a human monster hunter called Kormak. It’s reached ten books now with another two on the way. It’s been a lot of fun to write.<br /><br />I am just about to release a cyberpunk military SF series about a super-soldier called Stormtrooper 13. It might best be described as an unholy hybrid of Judge Dredd and Starship Troopers. This one made me laugh a lot. <br /><br />I wrote the World of Warcraft novel Illidan last year. <br /><br />Thanks for the questions!</div><div class="gmail_signature"><br /></div><div class="gmail_signature"><b><span style="color: red;"><u>Xathrodox86:</u></span></b> Thank you Mr. King. It's been an honor.</div><div class="gmail_signature"><br /></div><div class="gmail_signature">So there you have it. Wow... I must say that writing this interview was quite a task. I usually don't like using that word, but I really did felt like a squealing fanboy. I'd like to thank Mr. King for the chance to ask him all those questions and for the wonderful answers, that I've recieved from him. If you want to see what the author of "Gotrek and Felix" and "Space Wolf" is up to now, visit his <a href="http://www.williamking.me/" target="_blank">website</a>. William King can also be found on Facebook, and he always answers any questions that are directed his way, by many, many people. It's so great to see authors who actually interact with their fans and care about their questions and opinions. Thank you once again for all your hard work, Mr. King.</div><div class="gmail_signature"><br /></div><div class="gmail_signature">Until next time!</div><div class="gmail_signature"><br /></div><div class="gmail_signature">Xathrodox86</div></div>Xathrodox86http://www.blogger.com/profile/13542258686214382921noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6461406011459210483.post-88018972664331000502016-12-09T16:56:00.003+01:002017-02-17T14:30:25.777+01:00It's Grimvember time! Fear not the "Heralds of Woe"!<h2>Let's end the very first edition of Grimvember with a bang! I've recently ran a fantastic adventures by Hectorius, named "Heralds of Woe".</h2><div>Right at the start I would like to state, that this particular scenario took me, and my group, almost half a year to finish. Granted we're playing once every two weeks for 3 hours tops, but still - for a single scenario that is quite something, and it wasn't spent on pointless backtracking or some other kind of adventure filler. Far from it, I honestly think that "Heralds of Woe" was one of more interesting and captivating adventures, that I had the pleasure to run.</div><div><br /></div><div>The scenario's action takes place in Altdorf, altough it can be placed in any of the Empire's bigger cities. We've played it in Nuln (obviously) and it worked like a charm. The heroes are hired by the College of Heralds, an ancient an venerable institution that keeps track of any inheritance claims and cases. It sends out the titular Heralds to ascertain each inheritor's case and then, after collecting all of the evidence, present their common verdict in public. This is a tricky task however, as the majority of society views Heralds in less than positive light, and dosen't really like them. Not only that, many of the claimants are dangerous people, such as crime lords, mercenaries, common thieves and... wizard lords. Yeah, the wizards are the worst, especially those that keep a Fenbeast in their backyard... Fortunately the Heralds' tough and miserable job, can be made a bit easier, thanks to common and unashamed bribery, which is almost a certain thing, during the course of their investigations.<br /><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8zQIp32QoOA/WErSZD7el6I/AAAAAAAABQU/JXcSI69Hy3gwVwCSTxeQAi4obvh9wR46gCLcB/s1600/albion_fenbeast.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8zQIp32QoOA/WErSZD7el6I/AAAAAAAABQU/JXcSI69Hy3gwVwCSTxeQAi4obvh9wR46gCLcB/s320/albion_fenbeast.JPG" width="260" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>The Fenbeast, however, is not bribable</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div>The College itself is a mysterious institution. The PC's handler, one Crimson Gryphon Rampant (yup, that's his name) hands them out their assignments and offers good pay (and tasty meals in "The Tabbard" Inn, run by friendly Ulric Baumann), but it is pretty clear from his speech, that they are being hired for a short term only. Of course there is a chance for contract renewal, but after the three cases, that they'll need to settle, there is little chance for the heroes to want more! Why is that? Well, apart from all the crap that they'll have to endure from common citizens, the claimants are really, really, shall we say, "unique". There's a common thug, who has a whole bunch of lesser thugs under his command. There's a mercenary knight, with an entire retinue. There are also religious fanatics, and the aforementioned wizard. Wait, make that two wizards! However only one has a status of wizard lord, so it's not that bad, is it? It is inevitable that the PC's will get on some of those peeps bad side, and it's only up to them and their wits to keep their heads in one piece! Antagonising an entire band of sigmarite flagellants? Yeah, not so great a idea, is it?</div><div><br /></div><div>What I like about the characters in "HoW", is the fact that each of them has an extensive backstory, and really complex motivations for their actions. There are no one-dimensional, boring and predictable people here. They all fell alive, they feel like each of them really has a personal stake in those claims, that the Heralds are investigating. For a short scenario, this is quite a unique thing, and Hectorius really managed to nail his NPC's right. Well done sir. Particualy well written are the two wizards, Schaumer and Schumacher, for whom the author created a unique set of magical items, which can be freely used in any other WFRP game. Now that's what I like to see in a fan-made material - cool, little details like that always work and make the supplement itself much more interesting.</div><div><br /></div><div>The claims themselves are cool and interesting, altough they're not anything earthshaking... just like they're supoosed to be. When reading this scenario for the first time, I was afraid that some of the cases will involve daemon infested castles, vampire mansions and cultist dens. Instead I've got your typical land claims, with one party interested in grabbing it for either a financial or religious purpose. Particulary interesting was the case of the village of Sigmarshame in Talabecland, rumored to be the place, where Sigmar himself once lived, for a short while. Hectorius knows all too well not to place too much attention on the locations themselves, but on each individual claimant's struggle to grab them for him or herself. There was a very easy way for the author to fall into that trap, but he managed to avoid it and for that I applaud him thoroughly.</div><div><br /></div><div>Heralds will need to discover each claimant's motivations and legal claims, before making their verdict in public. This means that they'll almost certainly will have to visit the Landes Kommission, with which the College of Heralds has ancient, ongoing rivalry. Inside this institution, the PC's will have to go through many books, ledgers and manuscripts, in order to help their cause and place the final judgement. Oh yeah, I almost forgot - it's mandatory that at least one of the heroes knows how to read and write, otherwise their task will become much, much harder, if not nigh on impossible.<br /><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ONpcDhGhLV4/WErSzN3PYkI/AAAAAAAABQY/rukEC2GAgjk5KTuLvuKFTcyOssJ0RSAIQCLcB/s1600/adele.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="181" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ONpcDhGhLV4/WErSzN3PYkI/AAAAAAAABQY/rukEC2GAgjk5KTuLvuKFTcyOssJ0RSAIQCLcB/s320/adele.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>There's only so far that the brute strength will get you, after all</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div>Each case should take no more than a month to complete, but my group finished all three in about three weeks, in game time of course. I didn't really fancied to needlessly prolong each case, but I did not rush any of them either. In fact, I did add a few, shall we say, side quests, but they were connected to the main storyline and gave my players many, new opportunities and angles to advance their cause. In the end, they were successful and managed to finish their task for the College. I was especially proud of them, for not resorting to violence during this scenario. In fact none of them drew their weapons, not even once! I think that's the first WFRP adventure, in which the heroes finished their quest with not a drop of blood on their hands. Oh sure, many people kicked the bucket, before the game has ended, but my players did not killed any of them. Again - kudos to the author for constructing his story in such a way, that it was possible to achieve that, very impressive, feat.</div><div><br /></div><div>"Heralds of Woe" is a great scenario, perfect for either a one-shot, or as a filler during a long campaign. Hectorius made wonderful job of creating not only an interesting adventure, which makes you want to come back for more, but also to fill it with equally interesting, if not fascinating set of memorable characters. Drachilda Gebauer, the famous "Dragonlady", the decadent Tillman Rohrig, dark and brooding Lupold Baumann and mighty Alaric Schumacher, a mighty Wizard Lord - these are only some of the ensemble cast, presented in "Heralds of Woe", that those who'll play this adventure, will surely never forget, and rightly so, for each of them is unique and fascinating. Even tough that I've run this scenario online, over Roll20, I could hear my players interact with those NPC's with real, genuine interest and curiosity. That's a staple of a well written scenario, no mistake about that.</div><div><br /></div><div>Give yourselves an early Holiday present, and download this gem of an adventure <a href="http://dailyempire.guildredemund.net/2015/08/heralds-of-woe.html" target="_blank">here</a>, from the <a href="http://dailyempire.guildredemund.net/" target="_blank">Daily Empire</a> blog, which also has many other, cool addons for the classic WFRP. You won't be dissapointed, trust me.</div><div><br /></div><div>So this concludes this year's Grimvember. I must say that it was really, really fun and I can't wait to return to it, at the beginning of the 2017's november. Until then however, there will be much more stuff for me to show you, and I hope you'll like it. I'll see you all this sunday, with a special surprise.<br /><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xdVnEFhlr80/WErT2VQipQI/AAAAAAAABQg/r0w1ssEHAKQLro0Z9yYFpvmPkxNNRs6tACLcB/s1600/215b9f151fc4b27a2795e1c1440b9a6d.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xdVnEFhlr80/WErT2VQipQI/AAAAAAAABQg/r0w1ssEHAKQLro0Z9yYFpvmPkxNNRs6tACLcB/s320/215b9f151fc4b27a2795e1c1440b9a6d.jpg" width="231" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Yup, you can probably guess what it'll be, can you?</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div>Oh, and whatever you'll do, watch out for Ernst and the Room 212 in the College itself. Trust me, it's for your own good.</div><div><br /></div><div>Until next time!</div><div><br /></div><div>Xathrodox86</div>Xathrodox86http://www.blogger.com/profile/13542258686214382921noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6461406011459210483.post-25349446919037897962016-12-07T17:01:00.000+01:002016-12-07T21:46:48.907+01:00It's Grimvember time! Into the Eye of the Forest we go!<h2>So far I've been reviewing only short scenarios for WFRP. So let's change that, shall we? I'm going to tell you about one of my favorite campaigns for WFRP 2nd Edition - "Terror in Talabheim".</h2><div>Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay had many great campaigns, made for it over the years. Some of them achieved legendary status, like the famous "The Enemy Within". Others however, were not so lucky. "Terror in Talabheim" is in the second group, and unfairly so, I might add. This is a really excellent campaign and sourcebook, all in one.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-woHtGjhemok/WEgxCd0tsaI/AAAAAAAABPs/IosHk-tCL6c0CKOu-dKyO6-dApLlccZ4ACLcB/s1600/51ggKuRYAOL._SY344_BO1%252C204%252C203%252C200_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-woHtGjhemok/WEgxCd0tsaI/AAAAAAAABPs/IosHk-tCL6c0CKOu-dKyO6-dApLlccZ4ACLcB/s320/51ggKuRYAOL._SY344_BO1%252C204%252C203%252C200_.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>I just love those freaky covers so much!</i></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div>"ToT" is divided into two parts. First we have a section, detailing the history of the ancient city, supposedly created, when Taal brought down a mighty dragon from the skies and the resulting impact created the crater, in which the city is located. Talabheim is pretty unique, when it comes to settlements in the Empire, for the fact it is almost entirely placed within the walls of a mighty crater. Because of that, it has never been conquered, the steep slopes of its natural defences, all but impossible for any army to breach.</div><div><br /></div><div>Of course there are areas lying outside of the crater. The Taalagad, full of desperate refugees, is a good example and the first place that PC's will likely visit, during their adventures in the "Eye of the Forest". It is described as overflooded with people, desperate to get inside the Talabheim, living in squalor and poverty. Tensions increase as kislevite refugees are looked down on by the native Talabeclanders, who view them as nothing more than vermin. Taalagad is also home to the famous inn called "The Ten Tailed Cat", which debuted in the venerable Warhammer Monthly magazine, many years ago. It's a nice easter egg of sorts and a nod towards the older enthusiasts of the hobby.<br /><br />The Talabheim itself is described in a great detail. It's diverted into a few districts, each different from the other. Being a city of lawmakers, the majority of Talabheim is dedicated to law and the cult of Verena is incredibly popular within the walls of Taalbaston. The Eye of the Forest is presented as a much more organised city, then, let's say, Altdorf or Nuln, with strong emphasis on order. Now there are still parts of the city, that ordinary, decent folk should avoid like a plague. The Tallows and Ratholds districts are overcrowded, dangerous and emanate a sense of desperation and hoplessness, in direct opposition to reach and prosperous God's Row and Merchants Quarters. Talabheim is perfect to remind players, that the Empire, with all its cosmopolitan glory, is still a place of social odds and injustice. Bravo to the authors for delivering that message well.<br /><br />Oh, I almost forgot - the Talabheim itself occupies only a part of the great crater. The rest is covered in fields, forests and smaller villiages. It really works well to present the scale of the mighty crater, and its sheer, enormous size. Talabheim really is a truly unique city, a gem amongst the Empire's settlements. A bastion of hope within a sea of trees, able to withstand any siege and emerge victorious. A seat of Taal's power and symbol of his everlasting might.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qgKPAhgxnVg/WEgxgR-fy3I/AAAAAAAABPw/CV7TpeRBb94a4-MxPrWJiAdqeEN8ybUPACLcB/s1600/Taalagaad.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="206" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qgKPAhgxnVg/WEgxgR-fy3I/AAAAAAAABPw/CV7TpeRBb94a4-MxPrWJiAdqeEN8ybUPACLcB/s320/Taalagaad.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>That mass of stone? Yeah, those are Talabheim's walls. Below you can see Taalagad in all its decrepit glory</i></td></tr></tbody></table>The second part of the book contains the campaign itself. It is separated into multiple chapters and there's a handy reference for Gamemasters, used to track certain events which will happen during the course of the game. I really liked the structure of this campaign. PC's don't start initially in the Eye of the Forest itself. No, no - they have to find a way to enter the city and that's a tricky task in itself, requiring them to make some friends... and enemies. However things turn from bad to worse, as a new and deadly plague begins to devastate Taalagad... and the city of Talabheim itself. No one is safe from it, not even the heroes. It also turns out that the outbreak has been orchestrated by a powerful enemy, who wishes to close the Eye of the Forest forever...<br /><br />Now I don't want to spoil too much, but veterans of Warhammer Fantasy can probably guess the nature of this campaign's adversaries, just by looking at the cover. This is no bad thing however, as "Terror in Talabheim" keeps players on their toes, right to the very end. It's just a perfect combination of classic WFRP-style intrigue and a military-themed gameplay, altough the latter dosen't come into light, until the very end of campaign. I also know that this part can be a bit... dissapointing. Especially if players are accustomed to more traditional Warhammer Fantasy adventures, revolving around intrigue and investigation, and not sword fighting and military tactics. Still, for me and my group it was a nice refreshment from your typical WFRP game, so no one was complaining. In the words of Tzeentch himself: "sometimes you just need a small change in your life". Bear in mind tough, that the second part of "TiT" is much, much harder and more merciless than the first, and players will have to think fast, if they'll want to leave Talabheim alive, and with at least a single Fate Point in their possession.<br /><br />"Terror in Talabheim" is a very cool sourcebook/campaign and there's really no doubt about it. It details the Eye of the Forest in a interesting and thorough way and presents both the GM and his players, with a great and interesting adventure to boot. Altough it can be a bit disorentating near its second half, its overall quality, the choices it forces upon players and its dynamism and oppressivenes, all make for an excellent and heart pounding experience and I recommend it to anyone, who loves a good, albeit difficult and demanding, WFRP campaign. Try it out and you won't be dissapointed.<br /><br />Now for a few words of explanation. I know that it's already December and I still have one last Grimvember entry to make. Unfortunately real life stuff go in the way, and so I was forced to move my schedule back a bit, but don't worry - there'll be one, last Grimvember entry this friday, 9th of December, and then, on sunday, I'll have a special treat for all of you wonderful people, for whom I love to write and share my passions with. Stay tuned, because good times are coming.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/--fLir2UsnZg/WEgyJMcdE5I/AAAAAAAABP4/jpMry141_csEqHCrnqz6znLmchAQVao5gCLcB/s1600/300px-Gotrek%2526Felix2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/--fLir2UsnZg/WEgyJMcdE5I/AAAAAAAABP4/jpMry141_csEqHCrnqz6znLmchAQVao5gCLcB/s320/300px-Gotrek%2526Felix2.jpg" width="226" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Very good times indeed...</i></td></tr></tbody></table>Until next time!<br /><br />Xathrodox86</div>Xathrodox86http://www.blogger.com/profile/13542258686214382921noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6461406011459210483.post-63416034952024591172016-11-18T19:26:00.000+01:002016-11-19T17:33:27.922+01:00It's Grimvember time! "The Lord of Lost Heart" is coming for you!<h2>Grimvember continues with another entry. This time I'll be writing about one of my favorite, fan-made adventures of all time, "The Lord of Lost Heart".</h2><div><br /></div><div>There are many, fantastic fan supplements for WFRP, but for me the best ones are always scenarios and campaigns. For many years I've struggled with writing my own stories, so I took any chance to run a well written adventure. Some of them were good, others less so, but a few were real gems. Among those is "The Lord of Lost Heart" by Pip Hamilton, a scenario for 2nd edition WFRP, which takes place right after the Storm of Chaos in the village of Hohlesbruck. It won an award in the Strike to Stun's 2009 Scenario Contest, and rightfully so. Seriously, this adventure is all kinds of awesome.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ELIkgbumGP4/WC9GiX_9lqI/AAAAAAAABO8/j3Wo5zvJ39g67NBCs2bVVQRYnqZ-qeqtQCLcB/s1600/SpookyWoods-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ELIkgbumGP4/WC9GiX_9lqI/AAAAAAAABO8/j3Wo5zvJ39g67NBCs2bVVQRYnqZ-qeqtQCLcB/s320/SpookyWoods-2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Unfortunately there's no official cover, so here are some creppy trees. Trust me, you'll see many of them in this adventure</i></td></tr></tbody></table>Naturally I'll avoid spoilers, so you'll be able to enjoy it fully, once you'll play it yourselves. "The Lord of Lost Heart" is everything a WFRP scenario should be - a dark, gritty and grim tale of love, loss and despair, so common for Warhammer Fantasy. The adventurers are tasked with investigating the small community for a man, that they've met in a tavern (of course) some time earlier. It soon becomes obviouse that the village of Hohlesbruck houses many a dark secret, and that not all is as it seems. A girl with broken heart, a handsome, but vain young Pistolier, a prosperant but greedy merchant with huge ambitions and a disgruntled son - these are only some of the interesting and complex characters, that the PC's will be able to encounter, during their stay in town. "The Lord of Lost Heart" is pretty unique, when it comes to solo scenarios, for its portrayal of NPCs. I don't think that I've ever seen such complex, many layered and interesting characters in any WFRP supplement, except maybe huge, multi-layered campaigns, like the "Thousand Thrones" or "The Enemy Within". For Hamilton to give his NPCs such a depth of character is truly unique and fantastic. The villians are interesting, and certainly not one-dimensional, "ha ha ha I'm evil, lol" type of bad guys. This is a very nice change, from the usual megalomanicas, dark and brooding cultists or crazy warlocks.<br /><br />The Hohlesbruck's citizens are varied in their characters and motivations, and almost all of them have something to hide, some dirty little secret, that could ruin them, if it ever came to light. One can never know if the pretty girl that he is speaking with, dosen't have a bunch of skeletons in her closet, perhaps literally...<br /><br />The story itself is well paced and clearly written. There won't be any problems with preparations for the game and I always remembered where to look, when searching for certain details. That's not always the case, mind you, so again - big thank you to Pip Hamilton for doing such a good work with his document.<br /><br />While "The Lord of Lost Heart" is excellently written, it is also rather difficult and demanding of players to complete successfully. Again, I don't want to spoil anything, but needless to say that both the enemy encounters, and puzzles, can be very challenging, even for an experienced group of adventurers. Gamemasters are advised to scale their sessions accordingly, or they can suffer a Total Party Kill. In fact, they can suffer more than one, when I think about it. My group actually did rather well, since only one or two lost a Fate Point, but in the end they did not managed to achieve the positive outcome. So you know, be prepared for a hard time with this one, or accept that the heroes do not always win.<br /><br />"The Lord of Lost Heart" is simply wonderful. It's a great, smart, well written scenario, ideal for a campaign filler or a memorable, stand alone game. I think it might be my favorite WFRP scenario, ever made. It's in the top 3 for sure and I reccomend it to anyone who even has a slight interest in both WFRP, and role-playing in general. Unfortunately it's not available for download anymore, or at least I can't find it. However I do have it stashed on my hard drive, so if anyone would want it, send me a mail, and I'll be more than happy to supply you with this incredible gem of a adventure.<br /><br />Oh and yeah, I know that there was a week without a promised Grimvember post, but don't worry - when the November comes to an end, there will be 4 posts in total, one for each week. Just some serious, IRL problems came to the fore and I had to deal with them. Happens to all of us.<br /><br />Oh and there will be a small surprise for all of you, at the beginning of December. Below is a small sneak peek...<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LuYcLMDVhkw/WC9HcI-O-II/AAAAAAAABPA/jUaK_tp3pmcU_odQZhNi9F69Bd62nqwyQCLcB/s1600/Capture321443143111.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LuYcLMDVhkw/WC9HcI-O-II/AAAAAAAABPA/jUaK_tp3pmcU_odQZhNi9F69Bd62nqwyQCLcB/s320/Capture321443143111.png" width="205" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Oh yeah, it's on now</i></td></tr></tbody></table>Until next time!<br /><br />Xathrodox86</div>Xathrodox86http://www.blogger.com/profile/13542258686214382921noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6461406011459210483.post-27906763502159749232016-11-05T14:08:00.000+01:002016-11-06T11:38:18.651+01:00It's Grimvember time! A new WFRP event starts now!<h2>Halloween came and went and here I am, hitting myself in the head, for not writing an adequately spooky post. All is not lost however, as the fine month of November gave me a splendid idea for a brand, new event on this blog.</h2>From this point, every November will be known as Grimvember on "It always rains..." blog. What is a Grimvember exactly? Well, some time ago I've realised that after discussing various video and board games, as well as talking about the game itself, I've never reviewed a single module for WFRP. This will not stand. From now on, every week of November will be dedicated to a specific adventure, campaign or sourcebook for this fine and legendary game, which I especially value. Of course there are too many of them to contain within a single Grimvember, but you know... there's always next year and the year after that. I think we'll be fine.<br /><br />Oh, and this one is for Karl Voss of Averland and the rest of the guys and gals from <a href="http://warhammer-empire.com/">Warhammer-Empire.com</a>. Keep on being awesome and never stop.<br /><br />Anyway, here's a scenario for Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay that I love to death - "Haunting Horror". It was released for the first time, many, many seasons ago, back in the days of the 1st edition. Initially it appeared in "The Restless Dead" campaign book, as well as in issue of the "White Dwarf" magazine and it was later reprinted in the "Plundered Vaults" supplement for WFRP 2nd edition. Personally I've first encountered it, when reading a polish RPG fanzine "Magia i Miecz" ("Magic and a Sword"), and immediately fell in love with the spooky, atmospheric nature of this adventure.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-utX-IPGqSlM/WBtUIVG7PEI/AAAAAAAABOM/oUsiT-C9mmU1kLti5vdIzlZLQg8ohHGswCLcB/s1600/restless-dead.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-utX-IPGqSlM/WBtUIVG7PEI/AAAAAAAABOM/oUsiT-C9mmU1kLti5vdIzlZLQg8ohHGswCLcB/s320/restless-dead.jpg" width="232" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Ah, the good, old times</i></td></tr></tbody></table>Without venturing into spoiler territory, here are the basics. Player Characters are tasked with checking out a suspicious house, somewhere in the city that they're currently visiting. After entering the huge and ghastly manor, things start to get... weird, to put it lightly. The beginning can be a bit railroady, since the players have no way of escaping the haunted house. I know that some peeps were irked by this, but then again - where would be fun in just walking out of a spooky building? Anyway, it soon becomes abundantly clear that the heroes will need to explore the entirety of the house, in order to escape from it. The Gamemaster is handled the map of the haunted building, which is always useful, as well as a plethora of nasty, creepy surprises for him to use against his or hers unwitting victims - the players themselves. These range from a Beastmen painting, coming to life, to arabyan Fire Spirit to the most dreaded and dangerous enemy of them all - possessed cuttlery. No joke, when I was running this adventure, one of my players got his ass handed to him by a bunch of forks and spoons. These things can be downright nasty and, what's best, is that they work really well as adversaries, if you can call 'em that. Every single enemy in "Haunting Horror" has been really well thought out and simply works great in such a scenario.<br /><br />During their voyages through the titular haunted house, the players can learn the truth about its original inhabitant and what really happened to him, but the thing is that it's not really important. Now I know what you're thinking: how can a story be not important in an RPG adventure? Easily, since "Haunting Horror" is about atmosphere, the feeling of dread and unease, of claustrophobia and primal fear. If played right, it can be an extremly scary and climactic experience. I remember playing it with my group in late winter, during evening hours. The effect was incredibly and really worked well for our overall game. It still is one of the most memorable adventures in our crew.<br /><br />Now it has a few problems, I'll grant you that. According to the author it should be played by a party that just entered into their 2nd careers, but honestly, I would not run it for heroes below 1500 experience points, since "Haunting Horror" is downright deadly. There are constant fear tests and the enemies and traps can be very, very dangerous, not to mention some of them have a nasty habit of coming back from the dead... many times. Again, no spoilers so you'll have to take my word on that. Another thing to take into consideration is the "Haunting Horror's" structure. If PC's will linger too long in some areas, their chances of survival can drop by a big margin. Of course it can be said of any adventure or campaign, but in the case of this adventure it is doubly so. Gamemasters are advised to prepare themselves accordingly, as to avoid a TPK early on (or at any given time really), since it is really easy to achieve such effect with "Haunting Horror".<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/--xyXk3rXxOk/WBtUVMODsxI/AAAAAAAABOQ/dm1Di_JCAtMqTUMIN5yr27OSc22uf0dTACLcB/s1600/a2bdac5028abe3168b3fa9dca3f755b7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/--xyXk3rXxOk/WBtUVMODsxI/AAAAAAAABOQ/dm1Di_JCAtMqTUMIN5yr27OSc22uf0dTACLcB/s320/a2bdac5028abe3168b3fa9dca3f755b7.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Are you scared yet?</i></td></tr></tbody></table>To sum things up - this adventure rocks! It's a great filler between campaigns as well as an excellent one shot material. I recommend "Haunting Horror" to all Warhammer Fantasy and horror enthusiasts out there.<br /><br />Unti next time!<br /><br />Xathrodox86Xathrodox86http://www.blogger.com/profile/13542258686214382921noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6461406011459210483.post-57357272492062707252016-10-26T18:13:00.001+02:002017-06-28T01:26:21.426+02:00A WFRP 30th anniversary special: an interview with Graeme Davis<h2>Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay celebrates its 30th anniversary this year, so I wanted to commemorate it in some appropriate manner.</h2><div>Fortunately, thanks to a gaming buddy (thanks Andy!), I've managed to land an interview with one of the original game's creators, Graeme Davis himself. It's really short, but for a WFRP geek like myself, who grew up with the game and had so much experience with it, both good and bad, this is a huge thing and a huge honor.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bapM3-i2CL4/WBDVnsO39cI/AAAAAAAABNY/uQ9w6FyzNSEXttvapuPmrYPYE4IUmBq4gCLcB/s1600/logo_WFRP1%2523pic536786.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="167" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bapM3-i2CL4/WBDVnsO39cI/AAAAAAAABNY/uQ9w6FyzNSEXttvapuPmrYPYE4IUmBq4gCLcB/s320/logo_WFRP1%2523pic536786.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Happy birthday WFRP!</i></td></tr></tbody></table>Without further ado, here's the whole thing. Enjoy.<br /><br /><b><span style="color: red;"><u>Xathrodox86:</u></span></b> Which edition of Warhammer Fantasy did you enjoyed working on the most?<br /><br /><b><span style="color: orange;"><u>Graeme Davis:</u></span></b> First edition, definitely. For the others I was a freelancer working at home on material that others had created, but for first edition I was deep in the creative craziness that was the GW Design Studio in the 80s. It was a unique time and place and a unique team, and a fantastic experience for me.<br /><br /><b><span style="color: red;"><u>Xathrodox86:</u></span></b> How big was your input in the "Enemy Within" campaign for WFRP 1st edition?<br /><br /><b><span style="color: orange;"><u>Graeme Davis:</u></span></b> Jim and Phil took the lead in creating the campaign; after Shadows Over Bogenhafen, my role became one of developer and editor. However, I was able to contribute as a writer to Death on the Reik (the River Life of the Empire section), Warhammer City (adventure seeds and other small contributions), and Something Rotten in Kislev (I added so much to Ken Rolston's manuscript that I was given credit as co-author).<br /><br /><b><span style="color: red;"><u>Xathrodox86:</u></span></b> What do you think about the differences between the classic, 1st and 2nd editions of Warhammer Fantasy and the 3rd edition?<br /><br /><b><span style="color: orange;"><u>Graeme Davis:</u></span>&nbsp;</b>Second edition did a great job of improving the game mechanics and smoothing out some of the clunky systems from First. Personally, I think the decision to set it in the aftermath of the Storm of Chaos limited the game's appeal. Third edition was so different that many existing fans were put off by the array of components - which actually worked well and cut down a lot on record keeping - and the unfamiliar dice pool mechanic.<br /><br /><b><span style="color: red;"><u>Xathrodox86:</u></span></b> What was the most interesting part of working on WFRP? What did you enjoyed the most? Similarly, what was the least enjoabyle thing about writing these games?<br /><br /><b><span style="color: orange;"><u>Graeme Davis:</u></span></b> The most enjoyable part, for me, was creating new locations and characters. In particular, I had a lot of fun writing and developing material for the Marienburg series in White Dwarf. The least enjoyable... well, I had a lot of ideas that I wanted to write myself, but I was always needed to edit and develop other people's work instead.<br /><br /><b><span style="color: red;"><u>Xathrodox86:</u></span></b> Which adventure or campaign from Warhammer Fantasy 1st and 2nd, is your all time favorite?<br /><br /><b><span style="color: orange;"><u>Graeme Davis:</u></span></b> Power Behind the Throne is my absolute favorite: the characters, the politics, the plots - it covers everything I like in a roleplaying adventure. "A Rough Night at the Three Feathers" is my favorite out of the adventures I have written. I wrote it as an experiment, not really knowing whether multi-plot adventures could work, and it did! <br /><br /><b><span style="color: red;"><u>Xathrodox86:</u></span></b> What was your opinion on Games Workshop's cancellation of Warhammer Fantasy franchise? What do you think about the Age of Sigmar and its role, as the continuation of WFB?<br /><br /><b><span style="color: orange;"><u>Graeme Davis:</u></span></b> The Age of Sigmar is a departure from the Warhammer setting of the previous 30 years, but I can only guess that it serves GW's current needs better than the older setting. I haven't looked at it, so I don't know enough to have an opinion worth sharing.<br /><br /><b><span style="color: red;"><u>Xathrodox86:</u></span></b> Aside from Warhammer, what game system did you enjoyed writing about the most? Vampire: The Masquerade? Dungeons &amp; Dragons?<br /><br /><b><span style="color: orange;"><u>Graeme Davis:</u></span></b> Vampire was a lot of fun to write for, but the writing I have enjoyed most has not been for a specific system. I have always been interested in historical fantasy, and down the years I have been able to write articles on the Celts and Ancient Egypt for Imagine magazine, the HR1 Celts sourcebook for AD&amp;D second edition, GURPS Vikings, Middle Ages 1, Crusades, and Faerie, and other historical fantasy titles.<br /><br /><b><span style="color: red;"><u>Xathrodox86:</u></span></b> Once again thank you for your willingness to answer these questions. It's an honor to write them to you.<br /><br /><b><span style="color: orange;"><u>Graeme Davis:</u></span></b> I am the one who is honored, when so many people feel so passionate about something I wrote, even thirty years later.<br /><br />So there you have it. It was a great honor and great fun to interview Mr. Davis. I also wanted to thank Andrew Dyer, with whom I play Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay over Roll20. Without him this interview would never have been possible.<br /><br />Also be sure to check out Graeme Davis' blog: <a href="http://graemedavis.wordpress.com/">graemedavis.wordpress.com</a>. There you'll be able to find a lot of memories about Games Workshop, as well as annoucements for his next projects. He has recently written a couple of books for the "Dark Osprey" series, such as <a href="https://ospreypublishing.com/nazi-moonbase" target="_blank">"Nazi Moonbase"</a> and <a href="https://ospreypublishing.com/werewolves-a-hunter-s-guide" target="_blank">"Werewolves: A Hunter's Guide"</a>. These are perfect for anyone who loves conspiracies and Urban Horror genre alike. Check 'em out, you won't be dissapointed.<br /><br />As someone who just had his 30th birthday, this is one of the best, possible gifts that I could have imagined. Keep on rocking Warhammer Fantasy, you beautiful, sexy beast.<br /><br />Until next time!<br /><br />Xathrodox86</div>Xathrodox86http://www.blogger.com/profile/13542258686214382921noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6461406011459210483.post-64085383530852167342016-10-24T16:40:00.002+02:002016-12-08T09:41:49.437+01:00Xathrodox86 comments on the current state of 40K. Rant warning!<h2>Would you look at the time? It's rant-o-clock and now I'm going to speak about one of the most popular wargaming franchise ever made - Warhammer 40,000.</h2><div>I love WH40K. For me it's one of the most ineresting fictional settings out there. The right ammount of miliatry fiction, sci-fi, mysticism and humor, make it so goddamn awesome. It also has a major presence in popular media, like video games, which actually means that even non-players usually know what 40K is. Robbie MacNiven written in one of his blog posts that 40K is probably the biggest, fictional science fiction franchise aside from Star Wars, and I tend to agree. It's simply huge and fantastic. The world, the lore, the mythology, the endless possibilities for creating new stories and fantastic tales - Warhammer 40,000 has it all and more. I used to hate Dark Heresy with a passion, but only lately did I realised that with the ammount of background information, and the presentation of everyday life in the Imperium, it really has a potential for being a great RPG system.</div><div><br /></div><div>I could go on and on, about how awesome is this setting, but I will not. Instead I will speak about the technical side of 40K. Is it just as good as the fluff? Is it worth it for new players to get into it, at the moment?</div><div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YgBJKGQ2DOc/WA4aHiXChEI/AAAAAAAABMk/VpU2I6gAh7sE9o422VDEQwJsOm3CCG0iACLcB/s1600/49450392.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YgBJKGQ2DOc/WA4aHiXChEI/AAAAAAAABMk/VpU2I6gAh7sE9o422VDEQwJsOm3CCG0iACLcB/s320/49450392.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>No</i></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div>The answer is simple: as much as I love the story of Warhammer 40,000, I think that its current rules and overall internal balance are horrible. I'm not saying this lightly, mind you. Since I've started playing 40K back in the times of the 5th edition, I saw some major bullshit going on with that game. It's actually hard to tell when it all began. Perhaps with the inclusion of flyers and Knights, two things that it's hard to play without nowadays? Maybe with the formations and the complete lack of balancing them? Or perhaps with obscene motion of bloating the Imperium's armies (or rather some of them) to riddiculous levels. It's hard to tell really, but in the end the result was catastrophic.<br /><br />As of this day many people, myself included, are disilusioned and angry about our beloved game. It's a mess, pure and simple. The rules are needlessly convoluted, with additional rulings from various addons only adding more to the whole mess. No longer can you rely solely on the rulebook and your currennt codex, no no. Now you also need a copy of "Warzone: Damocles", a printed ruleset of Custodes and Sisters of Silence and another printed ruleset for the Heresy-era Praetor, which you can use in your games of 40K. Then you're set. Oh shit, forgot about the "Angels of Death" supplement. Need that as well chum. Yeah, this game used to be played with three books. Now you need a goddamn library and a private assistant to remember all the shit, that is needed for your army to win.<br /><br />But can it win at all? Naaaaah, not unless you're playing specific armies. Oh sure, it is possible to win against anyone, but let's be honest - trying to take on a Space Marine force, full of Grav weaponry, unique and very powerful formations, like the Skyhammer Annihilation Force, Raptor Wing or (kill me) Strike Force Ultra, with your poor outdated Chaos Space Marines or Tyranids, is a chore. Seriously, the difference in quality between certain codexes is simply absurd. Armies like Nids or Orks are almost unplayable, especially when going against the top-tier armies. Which armies are these, you may ask? Well take a wild, fucking guess.<br /><br />Now, before someone accuses me of hating on the Emperor's finest, but letting Eldar and Tau slide past my hatedar, I would like to remind you that yes, they are strong factions... when using a specifically tailored armies. Eldar are undoubtedly strong with their Seer Council and D-Cannon spam from Wraithguard and Tau are absolutely broken with 2+ Riptides in their forces, but other than that... They're not that strong. Hell, even with two Riptides, I still think that armies like Imperial Guard or Dark Eldar have a bigger chance of victory, than fighting against a force, which can deploy it's units in the first turn, without scatter and get a load of bonuses, because fuck you.<br /><br />That's one of the problems - we've came to a point, where GW dosen't even pretend that the Astartes are their favorite faction. They literally get all the best toys, while all other armies get jack and shit. Grav weapons? Space Marine exclusive. Best formations? Same. Unique psychic powers? Shove your shitty magic up your ass, Tzeentch, you loser. Thousand Sons wish that they could fire mind bullets as powerful, as those that the Loyalists have. Don't even get me started on Tyranids and their pathetic attempts at psychic phase.<br /><br />Now all of this wouldn't be so bad, and create so much dissonance between various factions, if other sides also got the equivalents of those toys/rules, but that is not the case. "Traitor's Hate" gave CSM one good formation, which allows their Raptors to charge in the same turn that they've deep striked. Aside from that it's shit. Meanwhile "Kauyon" and "Mont'ka", two very good books, I'll admit that, made the game even more unbalanced by allowing the Space Marines to take various fomrations from different chapters and using them, even if they're using a completely different set of chapter tactics! So now Iron Hands can use White Scars formations and Raven Guard formations in a single force. Classy GW, fucking classy.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/--kgPaaPELUs/WA4b75VoaWI/AAAAAAAABMw/7y3aQ9JfIe8tCyBYZ9FqQ6et_pIoIJndwCLcB/s1600/811292a1d4f7cd6ea009ecce9e730036.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="255" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/--kgPaaPELUs/WA4b75VoaWI/AAAAAAAABMw/7y3aQ9JfIe8tCyBYZ9FqQ6et_pIoIJndwCLcB/s320/811292a1d4f7cd6ea009ecce9e730036.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Iron Snakes with Imperial Fists' chapter tactics and Ultramarines' formations: sounds awesome, right?</i></td></tr></tbody></table>The whole formation spam is one, if not the main reason, whey 40K is so buttfucked right now. Aside from the example above, there is a clear and present reason for that - there are no restrictions placed on them. You can have as many of them as you like, and many of them are preferable to CAD, often allowing for exact same thing. There is also a huge difference in quality between formations - some of them are excellent, like the aformentioned Skyhammer Annihilation Force, or downright gamebreaking, like the bloody Strike Force Ultra, but some are pure shit. I mean, the Imperial Guard have two good ones, or rather viable ones, the Rampart Shield Wall and the Steel Host. But other than that? Give me a break. I'd sooner stuck a cactus up my ass, than field 10 Sentinels, one of which can issue a single order. Whoop-dee-fucking-doo. Just to be clear, I also think that Blood Angels, for example, got shafted hard. Being an assault-oriented army, they don't have that many good CC options and formations, and that's a real shame. So you know, it can happen to anyone. Except vanilla SM. They're nigh on perfect.<br /><br />At this point I should also mention the downright broken combos, that players can make with their codexes. Well some of them. For example the famous Iron Hands Chapter Master on a bike, who's nigh unikllable. With the "Angels of Death" supplement he became even stronger. Now if only Games Workshop would test proof their rules better, we wouldn't have such problems. Again, I also think that a D-Spam from the Eldar is bullshit, as are the Wulfen, which were introduced to 40K with a single purpose - to buy them. Not because they look good (I think they're hideous), but because they're too good not to include them. Just like the Knights and their Xenos equivalents, just like the flyers in 6th edition - you want to even stand a chance against someone who fields those units, then get your own or get the fuck out. Pay to win at its finest.<br /><br />This post is running a few days late, but actually I'm happy about that, because it gives me a chance to write about a wonderful idea of introducing Custodians and Sisters of Silence to Warhammer 40,000, a trend which, I'm sure, will continue. Not only are they available only for imperial armies (which makes sense of course, but again - do most imperial armies need a buff like that?), but they're also stupidly strong and completely anti-climactic to boot. Custodians almost never leave the Imperial Palace and Sisters of Silence were active during the Heresy war and, after a retcon, during the War of the Beast. Now they're available in 40K because... reasons. Money reasons, fluff consistency and balance be damned. I would love to hear people's excuses about using those models, clearly intended for the Horus-fucking-Heresy, in 40K. "Yeah my guys are fighting on some shithole of a planet in Segmentum Pacificus, and there were these Custodes who were, ehhh, passing by. Yeah, they were passing by and decided to help out. Yeah...".<br /><br />Totally legit.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2HF-Zr9J2Ws/WA4bvXFrHHI/AAAAAAAABMs/sfQcdLWTYGwghlJj2ATVyIR418Rp634EACLcB/s1600/7284b2ce25865d0ba68f9da1e776daf1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="255" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2HF-Zr9J2Ws/WA4bvXFrHHI/AAAAAAAABMs/sfQcdLWTYGwghlJj2ATVyIR418Rp634EACLcB/s320/7284b2ce25865d0ba68f9da1e776daf1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Get out of here, shoo!</i></td></tr></tbody></table>But wait, there's more. You think that Sisters and Manstodes coming to standard 40K is something big? Well then, what about fucking Primarchs? Or more specifically Daemon Primarchs, like Magnus the Red? Oh yeah, he's coming. The photo of the minis has been doing the rounds on various hobby sites, for some time now, but consider the following. If they're bringing Daemon Primarchs to 40K, something unheard of until now, it means that they'll also bring loyal Primarchs to balance the game, or rather to try to balance the game (they will fail). This means two things. First of all, soon there'll be Roboute Guilliman and Lion El'Jonson running in almost every Space Marine army, boosting the power level of the Astartes even more and destabilising the game even more, if such thing is even possible. Then there daemonic brothers. Back in the day Angron, Daemon Primarch of the World Eaters, had a set of rules to use him in a game... of Apocalypse. How much do you want to bet that, when Magnus comes out in December, he'll be a Lord of War choice, with stupidly broken rules, because again - it would be strange for a Daemon Primarch to not suck ass. Of course he'll still go down like a little bitch, when faced against a unit of Grav-wielding Centurions, but what do you expect? It's not like the Chaos Space Marines will suddendly become a good, respected faction with strong rules, which will make them competitive. Dream on. One model won't change shit.<br /><br />Now there have been... rumours. Certain talk about a Black Crusade reaching Terra, and that it is the reason for introducing both the Silent Sisterhood and the Emperor's Lions, as well as daemonic and loyal Primarchs to the game. This, coupled with incoming 8th edition, which is supposed to streamline the game (yeah, right), means that all those people who whine about story progression will probably get their wish granted. Finally! It will be glorious, I can't see how they could scre...<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nQUBhiWsic4/WA4ctit-tdI/AAAAAAAABM8/DtMb4iRA_rAciNuxSoXSDOIcQ_Fve4IzQCLcB/s1600/ageofsigmar3.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nQUBhiWsic4/WA4ctit-tdI/AAAAAAAABM8/DtMb4iRA_rAciNuxSoXSDOIcQ_Fve4IzQCLcB/s320/ageofsigmar3.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oh, right</td></tr></tbody></table>Oh fuck me, they didn't learn a single thing, did they? Guys, a closed setting is... well, just that - a closed setting. If you progress it, only bad things can happen. Like the End Times. Like the Time of Judgement, that killed the classic World of Darkness. It never works well. Never. Not only because it's almost impossible to resolve an established status quo in a way, that will not offend people (a Black Crusade will reach Terra, just like that? Wow... I guess Horus wasn't really trying with his Heresy) but the outcome will almost certainly be disastrous and anti-climactic. You know, like when they've ended the Old World in the most offensive, lazy and uninspiring manner possible. What, you think that they will do a better job here, in 40K? That there will suddendly be a series of books, finelt detailing the death of the Emperor, the return of the Primarchs and the inevitable victory of Chaos (because Chaos is the only possible winner in 40K. Again, thanks to GW writing themselves into a corner)? Dream on. I remember all those people who were thrilled when the End Times hit the Warhammer Fantasy. "Finally something is happening" they've cried.<br /><br />Now they're cursing the Age of Sigmar with their every breath, pretending that they never said the thing they've said.<br /><br />Lesson learned, right guys and gals?<br /><br />I'll be ending this rant now, since I'm getting tired about it, to be honest. The bottom line is: right now 40K is a cesspool, and it will, almost certainly, only get worse. GW has went full pay to win and they're not even pretend to be otherwise. Codex creep is the worst in history, without a doubt. The motion of bringing units from the Horus Heresy, a much better game I might add, to the core game, because it will generate more money, is both harmful to the already butchered rules and illogical, from the fluff standpoint. A clear and blatant favortism towards Imperium and its armies is the final straw that broke the camel's back, for me and I'm an imperial player. I wholeheartedly believe that for all players to have fun, they should have equal chances at winning. Right now it's not the case, and knowing Games Workshop it will never become possible for a Tyranids, or and Ork or IG player to compete with Space Marines on equal ground, hearing bullshit, such as "well what do you expect, this is the game's main faction" or "that's my codex, deal with it". Fortunately there's always the option to chose your opponents, and that is exactly what I'm suggesting to all those people who are fed up with pauldrons. Don't play against them, find someone who's not a douchebag, and collects other armies, than the superhuman Mary Sues, and have fun with better balanced, more enjoyable games. Or you know, find an SM player who dosen't bring a bucket of Grav weapons in his Strike Force Ultra-based army, but are there any Astartes players like that left? I don't think so.<br /><br />Still, if nowadays someone would approach me and ask if it's worth it to start playing Warhammer 40,000, I would say: no. Currently the system is in shambles, and I would not suggest investing money, time and effort into a broken, badly balanced game. By all means jump right into the world. The setting of the grim and dark future is fantastic and fully worth exploring, but stay away from the core game. It's simply not worth it, at least at the moment, and possibly not ever. Sad but true.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UDkE6v8yzfo/WA4c94Iw2zI/AAAAAAAABNA/VWr1lYRoRYkY5xSRvnUvCQeKgRV3sEt3gCLcB/s1600/jokaero%2Bsuffer%2Bnot%2Bthe%2Balien%2Bto%2Blive%2Boh%2Bwait.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="264" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UDkE6v8yzfo/WA4c94Iw2zI/AAAAAAAABNA/VWr1lYRoRYkY5xSRvnUvCQeKgRV3sEt3gCLcB/s320/jokaero%2Bsuffer%2Bnot%2Bthe%2Balien%2Bto%2Blive%2Boh%2Bwait.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>At least the Jokaero help to mitigate the pain a bit</i></td></tr></tbody></table>That said, if you have the money to spare, then the Horus Heresy presents a much better and cooler alterantive. Sure it's Space Marines 24/7, but at least there it's well explained and both the background and rules are much better written, than those of 40K. Give it a try and you won't be dissapointed.<br /><br />Until next time!<br /><br />Xathrodox86</div>Xathrodox86http://www.blogger.com/profile/13542258686214382921noreply@blogger.com0